Georgia Interstate to expand to 23 lanes

Map: Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, in "I-75 expansion calls for 23 lanes in Cobb," Georgia, the state that refers to sidewalks as "accident recovery zones" for cars, and pedestrians are impediments, has released plans to widen I-75 to as many as 23 lanes, although this is in part for higher occupancy toll roads and bus rapid transit. (AJC registration required for article access.)

From the article:

It's the planned I-75, all 23 lanes, coming soon to Cobb County. As currently conceived it's 388 feet across, wider than a football field is long. The historic negotiations to expand I-75 and I-575 above the Perimeter partly with private money and tolls have made big news statewide. They may also have overshadowed news just as stunning: the project's sheer size.

The total expansion project from the Perimeter to Hickory Grove Road, north of Wade Green Road, on I-75 and up to Sixes Road on I-575 would gobble up nearly 200 more acres along the highways. "It's overwhelming," said Melissa Hart, a Marietta resident who came to a recent public information meeting on the project. "It's overkill."

State transportation officials insist it's necessary. Partly because of long-haul freight, peak traffic already turns the interchange with I-285 into one big truck stop, and it's only going to get worse, they say.
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Can we say "transportation demand management?"

Index Keywords: car-culture; mobility