Georgia

[freebrickproductions]

I mean I suppose one could argue that it technically maybe does, given that you need to use the frontage roads to get on or off the highway? The highways with frontage roads here in Huntsville are signed "as" the highway itself when approaching from a side street, though signs on the frontage road will (usually) point drivers onto the mainline for the highway.

[mariethefoxy]

I mean I suppose one could argue that it technically maybe does, given that you need to use the frontage roads to get on or off the highway? The highways with frontage roads here in Huntsville are signed "as" the highway itself when approaching from a side street, though signs on the frontage road will (usually) point drivers onto the mainline for the highway.

it just makes it very confusing for out of towners or people unfamiliar with the area with the way that it was signed now. It implies that taking the exit is how to continue on 141

[ElishaGOtis]

I mean I suppose one could argue that it technically maybe does, given that you need to use the frontage roads to get on or off the highway? The highways with frontage roads here in Huntsville are signed "as" the highway itself when approaching from a side street, though signs on the frontage road will (usually) point drivers onto the mainline for the highway.

it just makes it very confusing for out of towners or people unfamiliar with the area with the way that it was signed now. It implies that taking the exit is how to continue on 141

In Florida, the frontage roads would have a separate (although unsigned) designation of SR-141F.

[architect77]

Email them about removing the shield. They listen.

[Great Lakes Roads]

https://i16-widening-0020168-gdot.hub.arcgis.com/

~32.5 miles of I-16 (from west of SR 67 to I-95) will be widened to three lanes. To begin construction in 2027.

[Tomahawkin]

Nice, Drove on IH 16 for about 20 miles west of IH 95. That area used to be desolate. Now its all suburbs. The widening tells me that people and jobs have moved to that area in the last 25 years...

[Tom958]

The new southbound I-285 to eastbound I-20 flyover is open. I've posted photos and commentary at Peach State Roads, Southeast Roads, and there is no way that's MUTCD compliant (yes, there are issues) on Facebook. There's a windshield video of it at Peach State Roads, too.

It'll be a while for the other flyover, from westbound 20 to westbound 285. There's still a form on the last hammerhead bent and it doesn't have its hammerhead yet. A lot of the beams and girders have been set, though.

[Jaxrunner]

Yesterday I drove from NW Georgia down US 27 to Columbus. The four lane road is good outside of Rome and Carrollton. However just north of Lagrange there is a sharp curve. It looks like there was a planned extension to I 185 that was never built. Instead I had  to drive through Lagrange before catching 185 near Pine Mountain.

I feel failure to build a connector from US 27 to 185 is a gap in the corridor was a mistake. South of Columbus US 27 is four lanes all the way to the FL line, and north of Lagrange it's four lanes to Tennessee with the exception of Summerville. I see I 185 as part of the US 27 corridor in West GA.

[Georgia]

https://www.ga-eminent-domain.com/latest-projects/lagrange-bypass-construction/

[sprjus4]

They couldn't have gone an extra 4 miles, tied directly to the stub ramps at I-185 / I-85, and built the route as a limited access highway?

This will construct a 4 lane boulevard (coming off of dozens of miles of 65 mph highway) and then transition to a two-lane "bypass" that dumps into a commercialized area before getting on I-85, to then back track north to reach I-185.

Cheap out.

[freebrickproductions]

They couldn't have gone an extra 4 miles, tied directly to the stub ramps at I-185 / I-85, and built the route as a limited access highway?

This will construct a 4 lane boulevard (coming off of dozens of miles of 65 mph highway) and then transition to a two-lane "bypass" that dumps into a commercialized area before getting on I-85, to then back track north to reach I-185.

Cheap out.

$5 says it's because they don't want to also have to build more ramps at I-85/I-185.

[Tom958]

There's a roundabout at US 41-GA 247 and Broadway on the south side of Macon. I explained to an activist friend in Macon that it wouldn't work properly because (a) the traffic volumes from southbound 247 to northbound Broadway would be insufficient to moderate the heavy volumes entering from the south, causing heavy backup on the Broadway entrance, and (b) the few drivers trying to go from southbound  247 to northbound Broadway would be afraid to pull in front of traffic coming in from the south, exacerbating the backup on Broadway. I made a Facebook post explaining this at the request of a friend in Macon so he could present the case at the public meeting.

The roundabout is open now, and per Google Maps, it seems to be operating pretty much as I predicted, even as I post this on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Of course, it's worse during weekday rush hours. It hasn't ended up with traffic lights as I predicted, but we'll see how it goes.

https://www.google.com/maps/@32.7727,-83.6582723,17.75z/data!5m1!1e1

[Tom958]

Speaking of roundabouts, Georgia is using more elaborate lane markings to make it clearer that drivers need to stay in their lanes. At this one at I-20 and Maynard Terrace in Atlanta, the single solid white stripes seen here have been replaced by milled rumble strips as on the edgelines of rural highways, flanked by a single white stripe on each side. Weirdly, the northern portion of the roundabout is showing on the traffic view as closed. I might have to investigate that in the near future.

[architect77]

Speaking of roundabouts, Georgia is using more elaborate lane markings to make it clearer that drivers need to stay in their lanes. At this one at I-20 and Maynard Terrace in Atlanta, the single solid white stripes seen here have been replaced by milled rumble strips as on the edgelines of rural highways, flanked by a single white stripe on each side. Weirdly, the northern portion of the roundabout is showing on the traffic view as closed. I might have to investigate that in the near future.

Double-lane traffic circles are difficult for ordinary drivers to master. In Raleigh there were so many accidents in one located at NC State's main entrance that they eventually reduced it one lane. Things improved, but I like the idea of utilizing the rumble line. I see that on 2 lane, high traffic rural NC roads, on the shoulders and running down the middle yellow line too.

[Jaxrunner]

I notice Georgia is building more roundabouts. In my area I find roundabouts are most useful in rural to semi rural areas on two lane roads. I much prefer a roundabout to a four way step. However I dont like the way the state is putting roundabouts at freeway exits. An example Cass White Rd, exit 296 off I 75 has roundabouts. The roundabouts work okay for cars but are too small for big trucks. The area is an industrial area. Personally I think the state should have widened the bridge.

[sprjus4]

Double-lane traffic circles are difficult for ordinary drivers to master. In Raleigh there were so many accidents in one located at NC State's main entrance that they eventually reduced it one lane. Things improved, but I like the idea of utilizing the rumble line.

Did the reduce the roundabout to single lane due to the roundabout causing accidents, or due to Hillsborough St to the east being reduced from 4 to 2 lanes apart of a road diet? Or both?

[Tom958]

Double-lane traffic circles are difficult for ordinary drivers to master. In Raleigh there were so many accidents in one located at NC State's main entrance that they eventually reduced it one lane. Things improved, but I like the idea of utilizing the rumble line.

There's a small but troublesome minority of drivers who not only don't understand how multilane roundabouts work, but are militantly hostile to learning. I've had online arguments with several of them-- it's truly astonishing how hard-headed these people are. I think that the key to bringing them to heel is more emphatic lane markings, and GDOT is definitely moving in that direction. I guess it wasn't enough at this location, though. Or maybe some local poobah intervened.

[Tom958]

Did the reduce the roundabout to single lane due to the roundabout causing accidents, or due to Hillsborough St to the east being reduced from 4 to 2 lanes apart of a road diet? Or both?

I haven't been back to check, but I doubt it. if they did, there wouldn't have been any point in closing part of the circle.

https://www.google.com/maps/@33.7439817,-84.3345727,19.75z/data=!5m1!1e1

[Tom958]

Nope, the roundabout isn't closed and is operating as intended. I've requested a correction on Google Maps.

Speaking of roundabouts, Georgia is using more elaborate lane markings to make it clearer that drivers need to stay in their lanes. At this one at I-20 and Maynard Terrace in Atlanta, the single solid white stripes seen here have been replaced by milled rumble strips as on the edgelines of rural highways, flanked by a single white stripe on each side. Weirdly, the northern portion of the roundabout is showing on the traffic view as closed. I might have to investigate that in the near future.

[sprjus4]

Did the reduce the roundabout to single lane due to the roundabout causing accidents, or due to Hillsborough St to the east being reduced from 4 to 2 lanes apart of a road diet? Or both?

I haven't been back to check, but I doubt it. if they did, there wouldn't have been any point in closing part of the circle.

https://www.google.com/maps/@33.7439817,-84.3345727,19.75z/data=!5m1!1e1

The roundabout I was referring to was in Raleigh, NC at NC State.

[architect77]

Double-lane traffic circles are difficult for ordinary drivers to master. In Raleigh there were so many accidents in one located at NC State's main entrance that they eventually reduced it one lane. Things improved, but I like the idea of utilizing the rumble line.

Did the reduce the roundabout to single lane due to the roundabout causing accidents, or due to Hillsborough St to the east being reduced from 4 to 2 lanes apart of a road diet? Or both?

The traffic circles were built at the same time Hillsborough St. was reduced to 2 lanes. To be fair, there are different rules for different types of traffic circles, roundabouts, and rotaries which I first had to master in Massachusetts.

The rotaries on Cape Cod have 2 lanes in the circle, but instead of yielding to those already in the circle, you enter into the outer lane of the circle without yielding. I liked it, because you could traverse the circle at higher speeds.

I honestly wouldn't know how to maneuver a 2 double lane traffic circle here in the South.

Here is the one in Raleigh that got simplified to one lane.:

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Raleigh,+NC+27607/@35.786029,-78.6621079,3a,75y,279.9h,100.68t/data=!3m10!1e1!3m8!1sz2PtrKg0BCqu_o5nYFJCDA!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fcb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile%26w%3D900%26h%3D600%26pitch%3D-10.676095768947718%26panoid%3Dz2PtrKg0BCqu_o5nYFJCDA%26yaw%3D279.9030551347613!7i16384!8i8192!9m2!1b1!2i16!4m6!3m5!1s0x89acf4253c222b71:0x611676ebd98ac264!8m2!3d35.8019142!4d-78.6875364!16s%2Fm%2F0203kr1!5m1!1e1?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDcxNi4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

[sprjus4]

The traffic circles were built at the same time Hillsborough St. was reduced to 2 lanes.

Not quite. If you look at Street View imagery from 2011, the roundabout was constructed as a 2 lane roundabout, and Hillsborough Street was still 4 lanes undivided.

The 2 lane conversion came a few years after it was built.

I honestly wouldn't know how to maneuver a 2 double lane traffic circle here in the South.

It's not that hard of a concept. You enter the lane you are going to need prior to entering. You don't switch lanes in the roundabout. Lane markings approaching the roundabout indicate which lane will go where.

[ChiMilNet]

Drove up to Helen, GA this weekend, which is a really cool German themed town in Northern GA. A few observations on the roadways:

• Interstate 985 desperately needs some more capacity up to Gainsville. Any plans for expansion or even at least Peachpass lanes?
• Piggybacking off the roundabout conversation, I wonder if they might be helpful on some of the two lane GA 384 roadway between US 23 and GA 75.
• Any plans in the longer term future to extend the Interstate 985 designation or at least gradually work on removing the stoplights from US 23 up to Cornelia?
• I really hope that lane expansion at the Buford Drive SB offramp helps. That line of traffic was backing up onto the Interstate and causing traffic to completely back up!
• I know I've said it before, but in general I think a real shortcoming with GA highways is the lack of lighting in a lot of places where it seems they should have it installed.

[architect77]

The traffic circles were built at the same time Hillsborough St. was reduced to 2 lanes.

Not quite. If you look at Street View imagery from 2011, the roundabout was constructed as a 2 lane roundabout, and Hillsborough Street was still 4 lanes undivided.

The 2 lane conversion came a few years after it was built.

I honestly wouldn't know how to maneuver a 2 double lane traffic circle here in the South.

It's not that hard of a concept. You enter the lane you are going to need prior to entering. You don't switch lanes in the roundabout. Lane markings approaching the roundabout indicate which lane will go where.

I graduated from NC State long before the conversion, but that project transforming a few miles of Hillsborough was all part of the same project. It took 5-10 years to complete and the big circle that began with 2 lanes was the first of about 6 traffic circles to be built. Over 100 accidents in the first year or so prompting them to reduce to one lane. What's funny about this location is that there's another small traffic circle right next to it requiring navigating 2 in succession.

[architect77]

Drove up to Helen, GA this weekend, which is a really cool German themed town in Northern GA. A few observations on the roadways:

• Interstate 985 desperately needs some more capacity up to Gainsville. Any plans for expansion or even at least Peachpass lanes?
• Piggybacking off the roundabout conversation, I wonder if they might be helpful on some of the two lane GA 384 roadway between US 23 and GA 75.
• Any plans in the longer term future to extend the Interstate 985 designation or at least gradually work on removing the stoplights from US 23 up to Cornelia?
• I really hope that lane expansion at the Buford Drive SB offramp helps. That line of traffic was backing up onto the Interstate and causing traffic to completely back up!
• I know I've said it before, but in general I think a real shortcoming with GA highways is the lack of lighting in a lot of places where it seems they should have it installed.

With the next 20 years of rebuilding and adding express lanes to GA400, and over half of the I-285 loop getting 4 additional elevated Express lanes, I doubt I-985 will be a focus for a while.