Georgia DOT Suspending Lane Closures during the Thanksgiving Holiday

To ease Thanksgiving traffic congestion statewide, the Georgia Department of Transportation (Georgia DOT) announced today the suspension of 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 will help to reduce traffic congestion during the Thanksgiving holiday. Similar restrictions will be in place for Christmas and New Year's.

"In order to provide a safer and less congested roadway, we are limiting construction-related lane closures," said Georgia DOT State Construction Engineer John D. Hancock. "Although traffic volumes were down earlier this year due to COVID-19, unfortunately, fatalities on our roadways have been up. I urge drivers to watch your speed, put down your cell phones, be alert and make sure you and your passengers buckle-up. Let's make this a happy Thanksgiving for all."

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While the road closures will be suspended, the department 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 up-to-date information about travel conditions on Georgia's interstates and state routes, call 511 or visit www.511ga.org before heading out. 511 is a free service that provides real-time statewide information on Georgia's interstates and state routes, including traffic conditions, incidents, lane closures, and delays due to inclement weather 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Callers can also transfer to operators to request HERO assistance in metro Atlanta or CHAMP service on highways in other regions of the state.