OT - Atlanta traffic

[atl-cock]

My normal commute to work does not take me over the impacted area of I-85. It takes me close by, the result of which that I think I'll be encountering less traffic until the repairs are complete. Coming home last night was "business as usual". This morning, there seemed to be less traffic for me. We'll see how it goes in the ensuing days if there are more or less commuters taking portions of my route.

My wife passed over the impacted area about an hour before the fire. I think she'll be frequenting MARTA a lot for a while.

There's a fire station close by, and the firefighters were able to get there quickly, assess the impact, and get I-85 closed quickly. Kudos.

 

[Quisp]

My normal commute to work does not take me over the impacted area of I-85. It takes me close by, the result of which that I think I'll be encountering less traffic until the repairs are complete. Coming home last night was "business as usual". This morning, there seemed to be less traffic for me. We'll see how it goes in the ensuing days if there are more or less commuters taking portions of my route.

My wife passed over the impacted area about an hour before the fire. I think she'll be frequenting MARTA a lot for a while.

There's a fire station close by, and the firefighters were able to get there quickly, assess the impact, and get I-85 closed quickly. Kudos.

I live not far from that area but work in Sandy Springs. I don't think today was the real test of what to expect but I had an easy time too.

Monday I'm riding the train because that's when I think the horribleness begins in earnest. Hope I am wrong.

 

[Anna_Nimmitty]

My normal commute to work does not take me over the impacted area of I-85. It takes me close by, the result of which that I think I'll be encountering less traffic until the repairs are complete. Coming home last night was "business as usual". This morning, there seemed to be less traffic for me. We'll see how it goes in the ensuing days if there are more or less commuters taking portions of my route.

My wife passed over the impacted area about an hour before the fire. I think she'll be frequenting MARTA a lot for a while.

There's a fire station close by, and the firefighters were able to get there quickly, assess the impact, and get I-85 closed quickly. Kudos.

I've road MARTA many times. Its actually pretty cool as compared to the new mini here in Charlotte! They're working on it here, but gotta a long, long way to go.

 

[atl-cock]

I live not far from that area but work in Sandy Springs. I don't think today was the real test of what to expect but I had an easy time too.

Monday I'm riding the train because that's when I think the horribleness begins in earnest. Hope I am wrong.

MARTA is adding extra trains/cars for the Quisps of Atlanta.

We live near Emory but I work in Alpharetta (My normal commute is I-85 south to GA 400 north). My wife works downtown on Marietta St. She said the MARTA Brookhaven station parking lot was nearly full this morning.

 

[Buffalo Chicken]

Psssssst, MARTA set the fire...

 

[jon#]

Live near Lenox and work up at new Braves stadium. Had no problem this morning. Interested to see how it is on the way home. Have to get to the airport this evening, so will be MARTAing.

I was at my girlfriend's place yesterday. Lives in Peachtree Hills area, probably a mile or so from where it happened. A fire alarm was going off in her apartment complex and she lost power. Pretty crazy

 

[jon#]

Psssssst, MARTA set the fire...

Seriously had this same thought. It happened very close to the rail station...

 

[hahnenkampf]

My normal commute to work does not take me over the impacted area of I-85. It takes me close by, the result of which that I think I'll be encountering less traffic until the repairs are complete. Coming home last night was "business as usual". This morning, there seemed to be less traffic for me. We'll see how it goes in the ensuing days if there are more or less commuters taking portions of my route.

My wife passed over the impacted area about an hour before the fire. I think she'll be frequenting MARTA a lot for a while.

There's a fire station close by, and the firefighters were able to get there quickly, assess the impact, and get I-85 closed quickly. Kudos.

What actually caused the fire?

 

[Sulayman]

My normal commute to work does not take me over the impacted area of I-85. It takes me close by, the result of which that I think I'll be encountering less traffic until the repairs are complete. Coming home last night was "business as usual". This morning, there seemed to be less traffic for me. We'll see how it goes in the ensuing days if there are more or less commuters taking portions of my route.

My wife passed over the impacted area about an hour before the fire. I think she'll be frequenting MARTA a lot for a while.

There's a fire station close by, and the firefighters were able to get there quickly, assess the impact, and get I-85 closed quickly. Kudos.

Not to be the bearer of bad news, but I live in Charlotte near Uptown where there has been non-stop construction for the new light rail and supplemental initiatives. People will figure out how to re-route pretty quickly and destroy your pleasant commute.

 

[atl-cock]

What actually caused the fire?

Still under investigation.

8 things to know about the fiery I-85 bridge collapse

 

[atl-cock]

Not to be the bearer of bad news, but I live in Charlotte near Uptown where there has been non-stop construction for the new light rail and supplemental initiatives. People will figure out how to re-route pretty quickly and destroy your pleasant commute.

You may be right.

It will be months before the road reopens. I'm guessing it'll be a week or so for everyone to get properly rerouted. We'll see what happens.

 

[Sulayman]

You may be right.

It will be months before the road reopens. I'm guessing it'll be a week or so for everyone to get properly rerouted. We'll see what happens.

It may be a great time for all those people whose bosses are teetering on the edge of implementing a partial telecommuting policy to rise up and demand justice. There are so many jobs these days which do not actually necessitate spending 40 hours a week in a cube.

 

[Harvard Gamecock]

I'm guessing a lot of people around here may have opted out and stayed home for the first day. As time goes on word will spread of alternate routes to take.
This is going to be painful for a several months at least

 

[hahnenkampf]

It may be a great time for all those people whose bosses are teetering on the edge of implementing a partial telecommuting policy to rise up and demand justice. There are so many jobs these days which do not actually necessitate spending 40 hours a week in a cube.

Good idea -- they could all meet up and console each other at the unemployment office.

 

[Sulayman]

Good idea -- they could all meet up and console each other at the unemployment office.

I work from home. At my last job, doing basically the same thing, people pushed for a partial telecommuting policy, and it was always a firm "no." When I took this job, my previous employer called me and told me they wanted me back and would negotiate a partial telecommuting policy with me. They saw that the newer and better company stole one of their best employees with just such a policy.

 

[atl-cock]

It may be a great time for all those people whose bosses are teetering on the edge of implementing a partial telecommuting policy to rise up and demand justice. There are so many jobs these days which do not actually necessitate spending 40 hours a week in a cube.

I can do most of my work from home, but with the many different kinds of things that we do, it's useful to have the support, camraderie and resources of co-workers around you. Instant messaging helps some, but not always.

 

[king ward]

I've road MARTA many times. Its actually pretty cool as compared to the new mini here in Charlotte! They're working on it here, but gotta a long, long way to go.

Haven't ridden MARTA. Have ridden DART in Dallas. Charlotte needs an East-West line as well as a North South line - something that services the airport - along the Independence-Freedom Drive corridor. JMO. Probably won't happen in my lifetime.

 

[Koxxsman]

My normal commute to work does not take me over the impacted area of I-85. It takes me close by, the result of which that I think I'll be encountering less traffic until the repairs are complete. Coming home last night was "business as usual". This morning, there seemed to be less traffic for me. We'll see how it goes in the ensuing days if there are more or less commuters taking portions of my route.

My wife passed over the impacted area about an hour before the fire. I think she'll be frequenting MARTA a lot for a while.

There's a fire station close by, and the firefighters were able to get there quickly, assess the impact, and get I-85 closed quickly. Kudos.

Today was no test. Friday and the day after the fire. Trouble awaits. Many just stayed home today. Road rage will abound.

 

[Anna_Nimmitty]

Haven't ridden MARTA. Have ridden DART in Dallas. Charlotte needs an East-West line as well as a North South line - something that services the airport - along the Independence-Freedom Drive corridor. JMO. Probably won't happen in my lifetime.

Ward, with them just now addressing the traffic issues all over Charlotte, and just now extending the train from downtown Charlotte out towards UNCC, well suffice it to say that they're WAYYYY BEHIND!! Honestly, it'll take them at least 15-20 years to catch up with what you see in Atlanta, Dallas and Houston, etc.

 

[king ward]

Have they been able to say how this fire started? I'm aware of the coils of material (some sort of plastic) that were stored for years under that overpass. Seems to me someone had to torch it. It's not the kind of thing that you would expect to ignite spontaneously - having been under there for all these years.

 

[Sulayman]

I can do most of my work from home, but with the many different kinds of things that we do, it's useful to have the support, camraderie and resources of co-workers around you. Instant messaging helps some, but not always.

Hence the "partial." You need to be face to face sometimes.

 

[Quisp]

I posted quickly over lunch today and did not extend my thanks to all the first responders. It could have been a much worse situation and they definitely came through for the city. Yes it will be a major inconvenience but it can be worked around.

 

[lilburncock]

Have they been able to say how this fire started? I'm aware of the coils of material (some sort of plastic) that were stored for years under that overpass. Seems to me someone had to torch it. It's not the kind of thing that you would expect to ignite spontaneously - having been under there for all these years.

Urban outdoorsman under the bridge.

 

[chicken_joy]

I work in midtown and live in Roswell. I take that route every time that I head into or out of town and back to the burbs. It is gonna be a rough 3-6 months. That stupid city needs to build the northern arc, get an above ground monorail and the state needs regional high speed rail.

Jeff Foxworthy said that Atlanta would be a great city....if they ever finished it.

 

[Cock-a-Doo]

The REAL test begins April 10 when most of the school systems return from spring break...next week will be lighter than normal. Thankfully for me I live/work in Cobb and shouldn't feel much impact but I feel for those who will

 

[SHillTIger]

I feel for anyone who has to deal with that mess for the next few months. We had a technician out of Atlanta come to our facility on a service call yesterday. He was over an hour late. He said it was due to 85. He's foreign so I'm going to assume his GPS took him around the scenic route.

 

[chicken_joy]

I feel for anyone who has to deal with that mess for the next few months. We had a technician out of Atlanta come to our facility on a service call yesterday. He was over an hour late. He said it was due to 85. He's foreign so I'm going to assume his GPS took him around the scenic route.

One hit to a major portion of ANY interstate in Atlanta can have ripple effects, scenic route or not. And now we are talking about a multi-month shut down here. 30,000 volleyball players were expected to come into town for a tourney this weekend. You also have spring breakers being re-routed as they pass through and head south to Florida. There are things which can complicate the flow of traffic here all of the time due to poor city planning and other things. Throw in some accidents, some bad wx or a police chase and you have the daily potential for a recipe for disaster on the regular. Over an hour late is not too bad. You are lucky that he even showed up at all.

This is how things looked on Thursday night. The exits & merges to 75, 85, & 400 were all affected...as well as MANY of the side surface streets.