Georgia DOT to open lanes during holiday
Jesup, GA – So that motorists can better enjoy their travels through southeast Georgia during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, the Georgia Department of Transportation announced today that construction-related lane closures would be suspended beginning at 12 p.m., Wednesday, November 21 extending until 9 p.m., Sunday, November 25.
“We anticipate heavy traffic over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend and we would like to make it a little easier for motorists to arrive at their destination in a safe and timely matter. Our number one goal is to provide motorists with a safe transportation system,” stated Karon Ivery, GDOT District Engineer in Jesup. “Emergency maintenance work in the case of traffic accidents and other unpredictable types of transportation incidents could still cause lane closures and/or delays” Ivery explained.
The Department reminds travelers to exercise caution nonetheless as heavy holiday traffic is expected throughout the states. Crews may still be working and heavy equipment may remain staged in close proximity to highways and safety concerns may require some long-term lane closures remain in place. Also, incident management or emergency, maintenance-related lane closures could become necessary at any time on any route.
“Historically, there are about 3,000 accidents on Georgia roads during the Thanksgiving holiday period,” Transportation Commissioner Keith Golden said, “On average, more than a dozen people die and a thousand more are injured. This is supposed to be a holiday for grateful contemplation and festive family gatherings, not tragedy. Please be very careful and do not drive distracted or while impaired.”
Independent analysis consistently ranks Georgia’s transportation system as being in the best condition of any in the United States, despite the fact that we lag near the bottom of all states in per capita investment in transportation infrastructure. But our highways and bridges are carrying more vehicles than ever; they are aging; and they are becoming more expensive to maintain. More than $500 million is needed for basic bridge maintenance over the next decade and $1.5 billion for routine road repairs over just the next five years. For more information on Georgia DOT, please visit www.dot.ga.gov or subscribe to our Press Release RSS feed. You also may follow us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/GeorgiaDOT) and Twitter (http://twitter.com/gadeptoftrans).
The Department reminds travelers to exercise caution nonetheless as heavy holiday traffic is expected throughout the states. Crews may still be working and heavy equipment may remain staged in close proximity to highways and safety concerns may require some long-term lane closures remain in place. Also, incident management or emergency, maintenance-related lane closures could become necessary at any time on any route.
“Historically, there are about 3,000 accidents on Georgia roads during the Thanksgiving holiday period,” Transportation Commissioner Keith Golden said, “On average, more than a dozen people die and a thousand more are injured. This is supposed to be a holiday for grateful contemplation and festive family gatherings, not tragedy. Please be very careful and do not drive distracted or while impaired.”
Independent analysis consistently ranks Georgia’s transportation system as being in the best condition of any in the United States, despite the fact that we lag near the bottom of all states in per capita investment in transportation infrastructure. But our highways and bridges are carrying more vehicles than ever; they are aging; and they are becoming more expensive to maintain. More than $500 million is needed for basic bridge maintenance over the next decade and $1.5 billion for routine road repairs over just the next five years. For more information on Georgia DOT, please visit www.dot.ga.gov or subscribe to our Press Release RSS feed. You also may follow us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/GeorgiaDOT) and Twitter (http://twitter.com/gadeptoftrans).
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