From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Downtown Connector
Downtown Connector
reconstructed during the 1980s as part of the Freeing the Freeways program to widen Atlanta-area Interstates. Today the highway carries as many as 16 lanes of traffic in some sections, placing it among the widest roads in the world. In addition to the general purpose lanes, there is a high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane in each direction for the entire length of the highway. The proposed Interstate 485 was originally planned by the Georgia Department of Transportation to carry some north-south traffic through the eastern side of the city, but most of this was canceled in the 1970s under Jimmy Carter, former governor of Georgia. (Parts of that road are now Interstate 675 and State Route 400.) The Downtown Connector carries more than 323,000 vehicles per day at its busiest point — between Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and Edgewood Avenue, while no portion of the Downtown Connector carries fewer than 236,000 vehicles per day.[3] The area around the connector and associated interchanges are considered one of the 10 most congested stretches of interstate in the U.S.[1] Due to this fact, many motorists often compare Atlanta to Los Angeles, which is also known for its notoriously-congested freeway system. The highway is fully instrumented with Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) devices. There are 19 closed-circuit television cameras between the Langford Parkway interchange (south end) and the Brookwood Interchange (north end). Additionally, the Downtown Connector has three large overhead electronic message signs, and four smaller HOV-dedicated message signs on the median barrier wall. Traffic flow data is gathered through a video detection system, using pole-mounted black-and-white cameras spaced every 1/3 mile on both sides of the roadway. All video and data is fed into the Georgia Department of Transportation’s Transportation Management Center (TMC), via fiber optic cable located under the shoulders of the roadway. Atlanta’s skyline, both Downtown and Midtown, can be seen from the highway, especially at the northern and southern ends. The route also goes directly past Turner
Interstate 75/85
Main route of the Interstate Highway System
Downtown Connector James Wendell George Parkway
Maintained by Georgia DOT
Length: Formed: South end:
7.4 mi (11.91 km) early 1950s I-75 / I-85 towards Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport SR 166 in Atlanta I-20 in Atlanta
Major junctions: North end:
I-75 / I-85 near Buckhead
Georgia State Routes
In Atlanta, Georgia, the Downtown Connector or 75/85 (pronounced "seventyfive eighty-five") is the overlapped connector of Interstate 75 and Interstate 85 through the core of the city. Beginning at the I-85/Langford Parkway interchange, the Downtown Connector runs generally due north, meeting the east-west Interstate 20 in the middle. Just north of this is the Grady Curve around Grady Memorial Hospital. Continuing north, the terminus of the Downtown Connector is the Brookwood Interchange or Brookwood Split in the Brookwood area of the city. The overall length of the Downtown Connector is approximately seven and one-half miles. Since the 2000’s, it has been officially named James Wendell George Parkway for most of its length, although it is still designated the Connector in the mainstream. The highway was constructed in the early 1950s as a six-lane thoroughfare, and was numbered State Route 295,[1] and was slated to carry U.S. Route 19 and U.S. Route 41 at one point.[2] The route was heavily
1
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Field, formerly Centennial Olympic Stadium, where the opening and closing ceremonies and track and field events were held for the Centennial 1996 Summer Olympics.
Downtown Connector
References
[1] http://www.geocities.com/ garoadwarrior76/ garoutelog281_300.html Accessed January 23, 2007 [2] http://www.geocities.com/ garoadwarrior76/SR295_1956 Accessed January 23, 2007 [3] 2005 Annual Average Daily Traffic Report (AADT). Georgia Department of Transportation, Office of Transportation Data. Last accessed January 2, 2007.
Gallery
Downtown Connector view of North end the Downof the town Downtown skyline Connector where I-75 and I-85 converge in Midtown
Downtown Connector facing south from Tenth Street bridge
Downtown Connector facing south from Fifth Street bridge; nighttime view
External links
• Near real-time traffic image of near Tenth St • Near real-time traffic image of near North Ave/Georgia Tech • Near real-time traffic image of near Grady Hosp • Near real-time traffic image of University Ave I-75/85 I-75/85 I-75/85 I-75/85 at
Aerial view of the Downtown Connector facing north from Downtown
Aerial view of the Downtown Connector facing south from Downtown
Exit list
Exits are numbered from south to north, in accordance with AASHTO guidelines. Mile markers and exit numbers have always been posted according to I-75 only, but once rejoining I-85 the numbers continue as if the motorist were traveling I-85 the entire time (not just picking up where they left off). Although some signs indicate US 19/US 29 runs along Spring Street, this is not the case. US 19 runs concurrent to US 41/GA 3 up to 14th Street, and US 29 runs concurrent with US 78/US 278/GA 8 west until US 19/US 41/ GA 3, where it runs concurrent southbound. US 19 and US 29 was routed on Spring Street until the late 1980’s.
2
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mile # Old I-75 south – Macon 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 96 242 243 244 245 246 247 Destinations Notes
Downtown Connector
Continuation beyond I-85 south
I-85 south – Atl Airport, Montgomery Southbound exit and northbound entrance SR 166 (Langford Parkway) – East Point University Avenue, Pryor Street Abernathy Boulevard, Capitol Avenue – Northbound exit and southbound Turner Field entrance Fulton Street, Central Avenue – Downtown I-20 (Ralph D. Abernathy Freeway) – Augusta, Birmingham Southbound exit and northbound entrance
248A Martin Luther King Jr. Drive – State Capitol 248B Edgewood Avenue, Auburn Avenue, J.W. Dobbs Avenue 248C SR 10 east (Freedom Parkway) / Andrew Young International Boulevard – Carter Center
95 97 98 99
248D J.W. Dobbs Avenue, Edgewood Avenue 249A Courtland Street – Georgia State University 249B Pine Street, Peachtree Street – Civic Center 249C Williams Street – Georgia World Congress Center, Georgia Dome
Southbound exit and northbound entrance Southbound exit only Northbound exit only Southbound exit only Northbound exit and southbound entrance Southbound exit and northbound entrance
100 249D Spring Street, West Peachtree Street 100 249D 101 250 US 29 / US 78 / US 278 / SR 8 (North Avenue) – Georgia Tech
10th Street, 14th Street – Georgia Tech Northbound exit and southbound entrance; no northbound entrance to I-85 north 16th Street, 14th Street, 10th Street I-85 north to SR 400 north – Greenville I-75 north – Marietta, Chattanooga Southbound exit and northbound entrance Left exits in both directions Continuation beyond I-85 north
102 250 103 251
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Downtown_Connector" Categories: Roads in Atlanta, Georgia, Interstate 75, Interstate 85
3
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Downtown Connector
This page was last modified on 1 April 2009, at 04:46 (UTC). All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (See Copyrights for details.) Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a U.S. registered 501(c)(3) taxdeductible nonprofit charity. Privacy policy About Wikipedia Disclaimers
4