Community Corner
Signal Fix Relieves Congestion On Mountain Industrial Blvd.
Stone Mountain CID-sponsored effort eases travel during AM, PM peaks.
Your commute on Mountain Industrial Boulevard just got shorter. The road is still the same length, but drivers will cover the distance nearly a full minute faster thanks to traffic signal enhancements at the intersection of Hugh Howell Road and Mountain Industrial Boulevard.
Once one of the most congested intersections in the Mountain Industrial Boulevard corridor, the bottleneck has been reduced at peak times thanks to traffic signal timing and operational enhancements by Tucker-based Sunbelt Traffic LLC, and funded by the Stone Mountain Community Improvement District (SMCID). Currently more than 35,000 vehicles travel the busy roadway each day, and one of every seven completing trips carried out by a commercial vehicle such as a freight truck.
The signal timing effort has reduced corridor trips by an average of 50 seconds during the busiest morning and afternoon drive times, according to before-and-after video measurements of the intersection.
CID President Emory Morsberger said commuters now experience fewer severe backups and endure fewer signal cycles in order to reach their destinations, and area businesses will benefit from the low-cost congestion reduction effort.
“The more quickly vehicles travel in the area, the greater access opens to all of our commercial properties,” Morsberger said. “Cutting wait times is particularly appealing to businesses who rely on the CID’s proximity to major travel corridors like Interstate 85. This enhancement is part of larger, long-range plans to improve travel times throughout Mountain Industrial and Jimmy Carter Boulevard.”
Beyond the signal timing work, the CID has focused on improved area signage and enhanced lighted street signs to promote better navigation throughout the corridor. Additionally, the CID has assisted in securing pavement repairs and other infrastructure upgrades in areas most heavily traveled by commercial vehicle traffic.
A more detailed traffic flow study to evaluate improvements to further decrease travel times along Mountain Industrial Boulevard is underway.
