GDOT suspends lane closures, recommends drive times ahead of busy Labor Day weekend

ATLANTA — Before traffic kicks off in overdrive for the Labor Day weekend, the Georgia Department of Transportation is suspending all lane closures on Georgia interstates and state routes.

The suspension will start Friday at noon and continue until 5 a.m. on Tuesday.

GDOT said while construction-related lane closures are temporarily on pause, travelers should still be careful on the road.

The state department said crews might still be at work near highways, even if construction and lane closures on the interstates and state routes are on a break for the weekend.

“Safety concerns may require some long-term lane closures to remain in place. In addition, incident management, emergency or maintenance-related lane closures could become necessary at any time on any route,” GDOT said.

Here’s GDOT’s seven day forecast for metro Atlanta interstates this weekend:

• Heavy traffic volumes will occur on Friday, Aug. 30, and Saturday Aug. 31
• Typical traffic is predicted on Wednesday, Aug. 28 and Thursday, Aug. 29
• Light traffic is expected on both Sunday, Sept. 1 and Monday, Sept. 2

On top of the metro area traffic forecast, GDOT said historical Labor Day Weekend travel data for major interstates shows the following areas and traffic trends over the years:

• I-20 eastbound congestion entering metro Atlanta; westbound congestion exiting the city towards Alabama.
• I-75 is predicted to have heavy congestion southbound and northbound coming out of Atlanta in Stockbridge.
• I-85 and I-185 congestion in West Georgia (near Alabama).
• I-24 eastbound congestion in Northwest Georgia (near Chattanooga).
• I-16 westbound congestion exiting Savannah and I-16 eastbound congestion entering Savannah.

Officials are urging drivers to be careful and for all vehicle occupants to keep their seatbelts on, in addition to not driving under the influence, driving while distracted or speeding.

Real-time travel conditions can be found on 511ga.org or by calling 511.