To alleviate Fourth of July traffic congestion, the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) is temporarily suspending construction-related lane closures on interstate highways, and limiting lane closures on state routes that directly serve major tourist and recreation centers. The closures will be from noon Wednesday, July 3 through 10:00 p.m. Sunday July 7.

For native and out-of-town drivers, Georgia is the gateway to some of the top Fourth of July destinations such as Atlanta, St. Simons and Sea Island, as well as destinations in other states such as New Orleans, Washington DC, Nashville, Myrtle Beach and Charleston. With countless vacationers traveling through all parts of the state, the influx of drivers on the roads will significantly impact the flow of traffic. “Our goal is to suspend major construction work to allow motorists to safely get to and from their holiday festivities with less congestion and frustration,” said Georgia DOT State Construction Engineer John Hancock.

In addition to reducing construction to facilitate better holiday traffic flow, GDOT also encourages drivers to enjoy the holiday responsibly. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, there was an increase in alcohol related car accidents during the 2017 Independence Day holiday. From June 30 to July 5, 601 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes in the U.S., with 39% of those fatalities declared as alcohol-impaired crashes. More than half of those who died in alcohol-impaired crashes were in a crash involving at least one driver or motorcyclist with a blood alcohol level (BAC) of .15 or higher.