The Georgia Department of Transportation announced in a press release that GDOT lane closures for road work will be suspended from Friday, July 1 at 12 p.m. until 10 p.m. Tuesday, July 5 in anticipation of the holiday traffic congestion.

For Cobb County this suspension applies only to work on state highways and interstate highways running through the county. The county’s road maintenance is handled by the Cobb DOT, and cities within the county maintain local streets.

The department warns that while construction-related lane closures will be suspended, crews might still work near highways, so some long-term lane closures may remain in place.

“In addition, incident management or emergency maintenance-related lane closures could become necessary at any time on any route,” the press release stated.

The press release gives the following information about projected traffic volumes, and information on traffic deaths from the National Highway Safety Administration:

Georgia DOT’s 5-day travel forecast for the long holiday weekend indicates the heaviest traffic volumes may materialize as early as Friday, July 1, with moderately heavy traffic predicted on both Saturday, July 2 and Tuesday, July 5. Forecasts are based on historical traffic volumes on similar dates around the July 4 holiday.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) projects that approximately 43,000 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2021. That is a 10.6 percent increase from the 38,824 fatalities in 2020. The increase in roadway deaths is the highest number of fatalities since 2005 and the largest annual percent increase since the NHTSA began the fatality data reporting system in 1975. Georgia DOT takes this historic rise in traffic fatalities on our roadways seriously and urgers all motorists to always Drive Alert Arrive Alive. Please work to eliminate unsafe driving behavior due to distracted driving, speeding and driving under the influence. 

About the Georgia Department of Transportation

The GDOT describes itself as follows:

Georgia Department of Transportation plans, constructs and maintains Georgia’s state and federal highways. We’re involved in bridge, waterway, public transit, rail, general aviation, bike and pedestrian programs. And we help local governments maintain their roads. Georgia DOT and its nearly 4,000 employees are committed to delivering a transportation system focused on innovation, safety, sustainability and mobility. The Department’s vision is to boost Georgia’s competitiveness through leadership in transportation. 

The GDOT’s governing body is the 14-member State Transportation Board. The board is chosen by the state legislative delegations of each of the 14 congressional districts in Georgia. The board members serve five-year terms.

The board is currently chaired by Emily Dunn from the 9th Congressional District.

The State Transportation Board chooses the commissioner, currently Russell R. McMurry.