McDonough ranks among country’s freight bottlenecks

Photo of big green sign on I-75 northbound at Walt Stephens Road bridge (Trucks.com photo/Brian Hadden)
(Trucks.com photo/Brian Hadden)

I-75 in McDonough ranks 62nd among the nation’s freight trouble spots. That is according to the 2020 listing of America’s top 100 freight bottlenecks. Three major system-to-system interchanges in Atlanta made the top ten.

Freight Bottlenecks 2020

Since 2002, the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) has collected and processed truck GPS data in support of numerous U.S. DOT freight mobility initiatives. Using truck GPS data from over one million trucks, ATRI develops and monitors a series of key performance measures on the nation’s freight transportation system. Among many GPS analyses, ATRI now converts its truck GPS dataset into an ongoing analysis to quantify the impact of traffic congestion on truck-borne freight at 300 specific locations.

In McDonough, the research group found the average interstate speed for tractor-trailers was 51.6 miles per hour. The peak average speed was 49.3 mph; whereas, non-peak average speed measured 52.4 mph. They also found peak hour speeds decreased 2.7% from 2018 to 2019.

By comparison, I-285 at I-85 (Spaghetti Junction), the top Georgia location on the list and second-most congested area in the country, has a peak average speed of 22.4 mph and non-peak speeds of 40.2 mph. Not far behind, I-75 at I-285 (Cobb Cloverleaf) was fifth and I-20 at I-285 (west) was seventh.

Three other Atlanta-area interchanges also made the list:

  • #24 — I-20 at I-285 (east)
  • #48 — I-20 at I-75/85 (downtown)
  • #71 — I-75 at I-85 (midtown)

The most significant freight investment Georgia is planning will be the addition of two truck only lanes. The project extends on I-75 northbound from Macon to McDonough. The state expects to host an open houses presenting the project concept to the general public in fall 2020.

Featured image shows a tractor-trailer passing underneath signage on I-75. Trucks.com photo / Brian Hadden.

About Clayton 1746 Articles
Clayton Carte is the founder and owner of The Henry Reporter. He founded the site in 2017 to highlight transportation projects. Over time, he began covering other topics like new development so residents can best know what’s happening in our community.

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