GDOT sends reminder to Monday morning commuters

Georgia DOT released a reminder for motorist to prepare for the Monday morning commute following the I-85 fire and bridge collapse last week.

“Tomorrow morning’s commute will present challenges, so we are asking Atlantans to heed warnings regarding travel delays on Monday and in the coming weeks and to explore alternative routes and transit options,” Georgia DOT Commissioner Russell R. McMurry said.  “The Department has been working on strategies to ease congestion and alleviate the stress on major arterials, but we need the public’s cooperation in order to make everyone’s commute more manageable.” 

GDOT listed the following reminders:

  • Consider public transit as an option –Georgia Regional Transportation Authority (GRTA) Express buses and MARTA offer easy and efficient transit options.
  • For information on other commute options, visit Georgia Commute Options at www.gacommuteoptions.com.
  • Use your favorite wayfinding app.
  • “Don’t Block the Box” – highway traffic has been re-routed to many arterials; remember, it’s against the law to enter an intersection until you can legally and safely exit on the other side.
  • "Steer It and Clear It" – if you are involved in a minor traffic incident, safely move vehicles from travel lanes until law enforcement or HERO trucks arrive on the scene to assist.
  • Move Over Law – when you see HERO or other emergency response vehicles assisting with an incident, move over to the next lane; if you can’t, slow down to allow responders to safely do their work.
  • Call 511 from anywhere in the state for traveler information. 

In addition, Georgia DOT will be adjusting its incident response strategy and pre-staging Highway Emergency Response Operators (HERO) at known hot spots around I-285 and on the Downtown connector. 

Operators will be focused on quickly addressing and removing incidents from travel lanes to reduce traffic delay on these major routes.