I-75 in McDonough had the 12th-worst freight traffic congestion in America in 2024. That’s according to the American Transportation Research Institute which compiles and publishes the annual list.
I-75 in McDonough Traffic Congestion
The ATRI reviews over 325 locations when determining their top 100 list. They have been studying truck GPS data since 2002. The Henry Reporter started reporting on the list in 2020. During that time, McDonough’s ranking has settled between 12th to 16th. Here’s our ranking for the last five years:
In addition, the report found peak average speeds decreased by 1.5% from 2023 to 2024. The peak hour average speed was 42 mph in 2024, compared to 42.6 mph in 2023. Similarly, non-peak average speeds decreased from 48.5 mph in 2023 to 47.5 mph in 2024. The average speed was 46 mph in 2024 (46.8 mph in '23). This is based on trucking GPS data.
I-75 at I-675
The I-75 at I-675 interchange is also on the top 100 list. The Stockbridge location was the 82nd-worst bottleneck in 2024. It was the 92nd-worst in 2023 and 57th-worst in 2022. The average speed in 2024 was 48.8 mph, compared to 49.9 mph in '23.
State's Plan for Improvements
Last August, The Henry Reporter broke the news that Georgia DOT was committing $548 million to expand I-75 in Henry County. The project extends from SR 155 / mile 216 to I-675 / mile 227. It proposes to build two additional express lanes. This will end the current setup of reversible express lanes. Instead, motorists will have express lanes available in both directions. The state is estimating construction to start in 2029. More details will follow as they become available.
The State Road & Tollway Authority is responsible for the current express lanes' day-to-day operation. According to their latest annual report, the express lanes saw more than 4.5 million annual trips in FY 2023. This was a 13.6% increase over 4 million trips in FY 2022. In addition, the lanes’ highest one-day usage was 19,852 trips. Motorists paid an average toll of $1.84.
The express lanes project is in addition to the I-75 truck lanes. The truck lanes are planned between I-475 in Macon and SR 155 in McDonough. The state DOT shared an online open house about that project in the fall of 2020. An updated estimate of when construction will start is not readily available.
Other Georgia Bottlenecks
Georgia has nine locations, all within the Atlanta area, on the top truck bottlenecks 2025 list. This is second-most behind Texas. In addition, Georgia has three locations within the top ten. These numbers are consistent with previous years.
Georgia bottlenecks include the following:
- #4: I-285 at I-85 (Spaghetti Junction) [5th in 2024]
- #6: I-75 at I-285 (Cobb Cloverleaf) [12th last year]
- #10: I-20 at I-285 (West) [6th]
- #12: I-75 in McDonough [13th]
- #14: I-20 at I-285 (East) [21st]
- #29: I-285 at Georgia 400 [9th]
- #38: I-20 at I-75/85 (Downtown) [35th]
- #80: I-75 at I-85 (Midtown) [72nd]
- #82: I-75 at I-675 (Stockbridge) [92nd]
Several Georgia locations improved over last year's position. Most notably, I-285 at GA 400 fell 20 spots outside of the nation's worst ten bottlenecks. The I-285 at Georgia 400 reconstruction project finished in 2024. In addition, Georgia DOT has approved construction projects to improve the I-20 at I-285 interchanges on either side of Atlanta.
Wondering which spot is the worst freight bottleneck in the country? The intersection of I-95 and SR 4 near the George Washington Bridge in Fort Lee, New Jersey, outside New York City, ranked 1st for the 7th consecutive year. Learn more about the freight bottleneck ranking by visiting the ATRI website here.
Featured image shows I-75 at Georgia 155 in McDonough. Georgia DOT traffic camera photo.
