Politics & Government

GA 400 Shoulders Open to Morning Traffic

The state is allowing motorists to drive on only two sections of southbound shoulders on the highway during morning rush hours.

Motorists can start using GA 400 shoulder lanes during the morning rush hour starting today, but it's only for southbound travel and limited to sections between Holcomb Bridge and the North Springs MARTA Station.

Time

6:30 a.m.-9:30 a.m., weekdays only

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Place

Southbound only:

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  • Between the Holcomb Bridge Road entrance ramp to GA 400 and the Northridge Road exit ramp.
  • Between the Northridge entrance ramp to GA 400 and the North Springs MARTA Station exit ramp.

Don't drive on any other southbound shoulder lane, or any northbound shoulder lane on GA 400. If caught, keep in mind that unauthorized driving on a shoulder is a misdemeanor punishable by as much as 12 months in jail and a $1,000 fine.

You'll be sharing those shoulder lanes with transit buses from both MARTA and GRTA. But no trucks with six or more axles are allowed.

Cars will still stall or be involved in wrecks, so GDOT HERO and maintenance workers will make sure the shoulder lane is free of stalled vehicles and debris starting at 5 a.m., pushing stalled and abandoned vehicles off the roadway to the nearest flat area. But keep in mind during rush hour you might suddenly come upon a stalled vehicle in the shoulder lane that hasn't been moved yet.

If you have car problems, an emergency or are involved in a wreck and can move your car, first look for one of the nine paved Emergency Pull-off locations along the right side of the roadway.

So with the shoulder tied up with traffic during morning rush hour, where will emergency vehicles travel? GDOT says to watch out for them in the second lane from the left. So if you are in the leftmost lane, yield by moving into the median shoulder. If you are in the lane that's second from the left, yield by pulling into the next lane to the right, checking for a break in traffic first.


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