GDOT Suspends Construction-Related Lane Closures over Thanksgiving Holiday

By MJ Kneiser, WLHR

To ease Thanksgiving traffic congestion statewide, the Georgia Department of Transportation will suspend construction-related lane closures on heavily traveled interstate highways and state routes from 6 a.m. Wed., Nov. 25 to 5 a.m. Monday, Nov. 30.

The statewide lane restrictions help to reduce traffic congestion during the Thanksgiving holiday.

However, since March of this year, and the onset of COVID-19, traffic volumes in Georgia have been down from as much as 60% early in the pandemic to approximately 10% at present.

But over the last two months, traffic volumes on rural state routes have returned to essentially normal levels.

And while it is logical to expect fatalities resulting from crashes to be down at similar percentages, tragically, Natalie Dale, GDOT spokesperson says this has not been the case in Georgia.

“Since March 2020 and the onset of COVID-19, traffic volumes in Georgia have been down from as much as 60% early in the pandemic to approximately 10% at present. In the last two months, traffic volumes on rural state routes have returned to essentially normal levels. However, traffic on Interstates, whether rural or urban,
is still down 5 – 10%,” Dale explained. “While it is logical to expect fatalities resulting from crashes to be down at similar percentages, tragically this is not the case in Georgia at this time.”

Dale said troopers on Georgia roadways are citing more motorists for going over 24 miles an hour above the speed limit even though there is less traffic due to COVID.

And she points out that accidents at that speed are almost always fatal.

76% of fatalities in crashes are caused by unsafe driving behaviors, including distractions, impairment or driving too fast for conditions,” she said. “Excessive speed appears to be one of several contributing factors to this disturbing trend. Troopers say in most instances in which they issue a citation, the driver was going 24mph or more over the posted speed limit.” (March 1 – July 15):

Dale said another factor in the rise in fatal crashes on Georgia roads is the lack of seatbelt use.

So if you are planning to travel by vehicle to Grandma’s house for Thanksgiving – whether in the state or out of state – buckle up.

In most of the fatal crashes since March, 60% of victims were not wearing
seatbelts or it was unknown if they were wearing seatbelts,” Dale said. “So whether you are the driver or a passenger, you need to buckle up before you get on the road.”

And while the road closures will be suspended, the G-DOT reminds travelers to exercise caution as crews may still work near highways, and safety concerns may require some long-term lane closures to remain in place.

In addition, incident management or emergency, maintenance-related lane closures could become necessary at any time on any route.

For road and travel advisories on Georgia roads, you can call G-DOT’s toll-free 511 hotline.