Fresh Loaf

• Estimated cost of the new 14th Street Bridge in Midtown, which opened Sept. 3: $88.5 million
• Number of months that commuters lost the use of the east-west route across I-75/85: 16
• Number of months ahead of schedule work crews completed construction: 4
• Number of motorists, at most, the previous bridge served each day: 18,000
• Width, in feet, of the new bridge’s sidewalk to accommodate pedestrians: 15
• Number of bike lanes created with new bridge design: 0
• Number of Midtown bike lanes cyclists could safely use to access the new bridge: 0
• Number of east-west MARTA routes that operate in Atlanta: 1
• Estimated number of hours Atlanta motorists waste in traffic each year: 57

Sources: Georgia Department of Transportation, Atlanta Bicycle Coalition, Midtown Alliance, Texas Transportation Institute

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The world’s greatest sport and some game that is played between marriage proposals and awkward photos of Chipper Jones will create traffic havoc tonight in Atlanta.

This weekend, the Georgia Department of Transportation will be setting beams for the new (yippie!) 17th Street off-ramp (boo!). That project will require the closure of several lanes on I-75/85 northbound. Here are the details:

Starting at 8 p.m., Friday, July 24, the three regular travel lanes to I-75 North will be closed through the weekend until 5 a.m., Monday, July 27. All northbound traffic on I-75 must use the HOV lane to continue north on I-75. The three lanes to I-85 North will be open, but traffic will be very congested. Northbound drivers just passing through Atlanta are strongly encouraged to use I-285 to avoid the congestion.

Emphasis added. The following weekend, GDOT will once again resurface the interstate near the downtown connector, turning it into a real-life version of “Everybody Hurts.” That process will take 10 weekends to complete. The good news is that all of this activities, which are part of the 14th Street Bridge improvement project, will help GDOT finish the project ahead of schedule.

Do yourself a favor, if possible: Avoid interstate traffic this weekend and quite possibly for the rest of your life. Take local roads or I-285. Better yet, give transit a try. From the comforts of MARTA, you can laugh at the sea of gridlocked motorists. Citizens for Progressive Transit has a helpful online trip planner. You can also access a mobile version.

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

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Months until 14th Street bridge replacement is supposed to be complete: 28

Southbound Downtown Connector off-ramps to Midtown now closed for bridge project: 3

Southbound Downtown Connector off-ramps to Midtown that remain open: 2

Months 14th Street bridge will be closed, starting this summer: 18

Number of bike lanes planned for replacement 14th Street bridge: 1

Number of cars that use the Downtown Connector daily: 340,000

Percent of Midtown drivers state says need to “get out of their cars” for traffic “to be able to move” during construction: 10

Number of new or enhanced MARTA routes near project: 0

Amount state will pay for 14th Street bridge replacement project: $88.5 million

Amount state contributes to MARTA annually: $0

Sources: AJC, Georgia Department of Transportation, Car & Driver, MARTA

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