Saturday evening, on our way to the fairgrounds, Chris and I saw a ten-mile-long backup on northbound I-85 due to a series of accidents not far from our own exit. Vehicles in the backup attempting to leave the interstate four miles from the accident scene were backed up for at least another six miles.
The interstate is undergoing extensive work through Coweta County, and in my opinion the planning for the project has been an extended fustercluck.
It’s time for Coweta County residents to avoid travel on Interstate 85, if possible. In less than a week, there are been three massive multi-vehicle traffic accidents on the interstate in our county that have jammed traffic for hours.
Each of these major wrecks took place in highway construction areas. Stormy weather may have contributed to two of the pileups.
Even before these recent multi-vehicle accidents, authorities reported a significant increase in wrecks on the interstate within the past year. For well over a year, every mile of I-85 in Coweta—plus a stretch south of Coweta in Meriwether and a much longer stretch in South Fulton north of Coweta—have been undergoing construction. That construction will continue at least for another 18 months. The scheduled deadline is for the work to be completed by the end of 2009. Too often construction deadlines are not met.
As the construction has progressed, more barriers have been erected. There have been recurring lane changes and shifting of traffic. When the new inside lanes that are now being constructed are completed, workers will begin rebuilding the outside lanes. We will experience more and more lane changes and more and more barriers during the next 18 months.
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It would be a good idea to avoid travel along dangerous I-85
For miles, I-85 effectively has no shoulders. The posted speed limit has been lowered from 70 to 60, with signs proclaiming the limit is “strictly enforced”—but the prevailing speed remains as it was before the work began.
Did I mention “no shoulders”? As in, where the @#$!! is a trooper or deputy supposed to pull somebody over?
Very bad planning. The only thing worse I can imagine is for all that traffic to detour onto Coweta’s surface roads. Fortunately not everyone who travels I-85 reads the Times-Herald. Or this blog.
