Atlanta World Cup traffic: GDOT celebrates successful tournament operations
ATLANTA - State transportation leaders took a victory lap Tuesday after successfully moving more than 1 million sports fans through Atlanta during a month of World Cup matches and downtown fan festivities.
Atlanta World Cup traffic triumph
What we know:
Georgia Department of Transportation board members praised state teams Tuesday for coordinating traffic during eight matches at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The monthlong effort marked the city's largest transportation management operation since the 1996 Olympics.
Traffic volume surged 24% in event areas, yet travel times increased by only 3%. Officials easily beat their original goal of keeping travel delays under 50%.
High-tech pedestrian tracking
By the numbers:
Advanced laser technology tracked more than 37,000 pedestrians per game crossing Northside Drive without collecting photos or identifying individuals. Officials also coordinated traffic for 19 official FanFest watch parties across the area.
Traffic crews controlled signal timing for over 150 team and referee escorts to clear routes without stopping. Meanwhile, 511 website traffic jumped 69% to over 250,000 hits as drivers checked route conditions.
Georgia highway emergency support
Big picture view:
Crews handled more than 13,000 interstate incidents during the tournament month while HERO units completed 6,000 assists to clear lanes. The operation required two years of planning alongside local police, homeland security, and city leaders.
Next tournament operations steps
What we don't know:
Organizers have not released final economic impact calculations for the full month of tournament festivities.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from the Georgia Department of Transportation board meeting on Tuesday, where transportation leaders presented official tournament traffic metrics, as well as commissioner reports detailing state highway operations.