Lane reduction resources
The closure of two lanes in each direction of I-285 through the end of the construction period (estimated second half of 2023) is a highly impactful change for those who work, visit, or reside in the area.
Fortunately, we can provide a few resources to help you and your community navigate those impacts:
Four core resources
#1 Plan Ahead and Skip the Red
We all know traffic is worse at certain times of day – but there’s more variation than just “rush hour” and the rest of the day. We’ve used GDOT data from I-285 to give you a handy guide to when 285 is currently the slowest, so you can adjust your plans accordingly. A little bit of planning ahead can help you skip seeing (and turning) red!
If you travel to and from I-75 (passing over Northside Drive):
If you travel to and from I-85 (passing over Shallowford Road):
#2: Ask for Options
We’re all used to turning to Google Maps or other tools to see what other options we have. But there are a lot of commute alternatives Google doesn’t know about – like Xpress coach bus routes, vanpools, carpool matches, or park-and-ride choices.
Take a minute to Ask for Options via our simple webform and we’ll explore every possible alternate commute based on where you live and work. And if there’s an option for you, we’ll be happy to cover the cost for you to try it out.
#3: Traffic Time is Relative
They say time flies when you’re having fun – the opposite of crawling along in traffic. Having a colleague to collaborate with, or a new friend who likes the same music or podcast, can take the same time on 285 and make it fly by.
If you take just a minute to share a few important things about your commute, we’ll let you know if we find someone who works in the same area, lives nearby, and has something in common with you. You don’t have to do the work – and if we find a potential carpool colleague we’ll connect you, and give you $50 for gas if you carpool (just one carpool trip to work and you’ll get $50).
#4: Community Toolkit
If you’re a manager, leader, or communications point person, we’ve prepared a suite of resources to make it easier for you to spread the word about the lane closures and the above commute resources. Please use these as templates or starting points for you to notify your employees, customers, guests, or residents.
Here you’ll find:
#5: What you can do for your employees
First, use the toolkit resources above to get the word out about the closures to your people and give them plenty of time to plan ahead and make any changes to their commutes.
Then, take advantage of the flexibility you built over the last two years. Compare when people are coming in to your offices now with with when 285 is slowest (scroll up for that cheatsheet). Most of our area’s office workers are working a ‘hybrid’ schedule, but if everyone keeps choosing Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday as their days in the office it’s going to be a lot slower those days. Use Monday and Friday office days or flexible schedules to smooth commutes.
