Georgia Department of Transportation Halting Road Construction for Independence Day

GEORGIA – According to a news report posted online at patch.com, the Georgia Department of Transportation is halting road construction in the state for the Fourth of July holiday. All lane closures related to construction will be lifted for the holiday traveling period on interstates throughout Georgia.* 

Road closures will be suspended starting on July 3 and running until July 7. In addition to interstates, lane closures will be limited on state roads that lead to tourist destinations and recreation areas, according to the Georgia DOT. The suspension of lane closures is in an effort to reduce traffic congestion associated with the holiday.

“Our goal is to suspend major construction work to allow motorists to safely get to and from their holiday festivities with less congestion and frustration,” said John Hancock, state construction engineer for the Georgia DOT. 

The Georgia DOT is also reminding drivers to practice safety during their travels this holiday. The U.S. Department of Transportation indicates that car accidents involving alcohol tend to increase around the Independence Day holiday. In 2017, more than 600 people died in vehicle accidents in the U.S. from June 30 to July 5, with close to 40 percent of those accidents involving alcohol. 

Of the deadly crashes in which alcohol was involved in 2017, the person driving under the influence had a blood alcohol level of .15 or higher, which is almost double the legal limit in most states (.08). Officials urge people celebrating the holiday to always arrange for a sober driver after consuming alcohol.

Accident News is a driver safety and education initiative from Montlick & Associates, designed to help people better understand and thereby avoid common accident causes.  To learn more about our injury prevention programs, including iridesafe.com - click here. We hope you are never in an accident, but if you or family member are injured, call Montlick & Associates 24/7 for your free consultation at 1-800-LAW-NEED (1-800-529-6333) or use our live chat at Montlick.com.

Source:https://patch.com/georgia/sandysprings/gdot-suspending-construction-during-fourth-july-holiday