Q: Please explain to me why, when driving north on I-75, traffic always backs up around McDonough. It slows to a crawl for an agonizingly long time and then just mysteriously speeds up again. It happens almost all the time.
—Wayne Langley, Smyrna
A: There are several reasons for the gridlock.
“The traffic congestion on I-75 North in the McDonough area is the result of many factors, including numerous hills on the roadway in the region, high volume of truck and regular traffic entering the roadway and the decision points for motorists entering and exiting the interstate. Truck traffic typically has a hard time going up the hills and that tends to slow the overall traffic in that area,” Georgia DOT spokeswoman Karlene Barron told Q&A on the News.
At the same time, other cars enter I-75 at Hudson Bridge Road, leading to the merging and weaving that happens when motorists enter and exit the interstate.
A few years ago, GDOT added an auxiliary lane from Eagles Landing to I-675, which has helped, Barron said, but engineers recognize that congestion remains a problem.
The state is building 12 miles of express toll lanes from Ga. 155/McDonough Road to Ga. 138/Stockbridge Highway.
“With the addition of these express lanes, we will provide another option for travelers needing to travel through to points further north or further south,” Barron said. “This will help to alleviate some of the congestion in the area.”
The lanes are scheduled to open in 2017.
Andy Johnston wrote this column; Allison Floyd contributed. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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