Thanksgiving Holiday Travel: No Closures, State Patrol Gears Up

ATLANTA, GA -- The Georgia Department of Transportation will make your holiday travel plans a little easier this week by suspending all construction-related lane closures on interstate highways, major state routes and roads near major shopping areas. But state troopers are gearing up for extra vigilance with busy highways and sometimes impaired drivers.

You can expect this to go into effect from 6 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 22 to 5 a.m. Monday, Nov. 27. Similar restrictions will be imposed for the Christmas and New Year’s travel periods. Georgia DOT State Construction Engineer John Hancock said heavy traffic is expected throughout Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

“We typically see an increase in roadway fatalities during heavy travel holidays,” Hancock said. “I urge drivers to slow down and drive alert. Put down the cell phone and make sure you and your passengers buckle up. Let’s make this a happy Thanksgiving for all.”

GDOT reminds drivers to use caution, however, as crews may still work in proximity to highways and safety concerns may require some long-term lane closures to remain in place. Also, incident management or emergency, maintenance-related lane closures could become necessary at any time on any interstate or state route.

For its part, the Georgia State patrol is also making preparations for the 102-hour-long travel period, which begins at 6 p.m. Nov. 22 and ends 11:59 p.m. Nov. 25 for the department. During the 2016 Thanksgiving travel period, troopers investigated 648 traffic crashes that resulted in 347 injuries and 16 traffic fatalities. In addition to the traffic crash investigations last year, troopers issued 10,652 citations and 15,207 warnings.

Thanksgiving is ordinarily one of the most hectic travel periods of the year, and state troopers are urging motorists to remain on guard as they travel throughout the state.

“We take saving lives seriously and want to make holiday travel as safe as possible, so troopers will be on high visibility patrols keeping a close watch out for drivers not obeying the traffic laws,” said Colonel Mark W. McDonough, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Public Safety.

If you know you will consume alcohol, McDonough implores you to be responsible and designate a sober driver before you began celebrating. During last year’s holiday period, 292 arrests were made for driving under the influence.

“Each holiday travel period, troopers investigate wrecks that could have been preventable, had the drivers put safety first," McDonough added. "So, please plan your Thanksgiving road trip carefully. Buckle up, allow ample time to reach your destination, be courteous to other drivers, obey the speed limit, and do not drive distracted."

The Thanksgiving holiday period is also an Operation C.A.R.E. holiday, where state law enforcement officers across the country join together for a concerted effort to encourage safe travel. The goal of Operation C.A.R.E., or Combined Accident Reduction Effort, is to reduce the number of crashes, injuries and fatalities on the nation’s roads by balancing high visibility enforcement with educational outreach.

The holiday traffic count will be updated throughout the holiday period on the Georgia Department of Public Safety Twitter page.

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