Good news, but it will be a long time coming

There was a lot of backslapping going on when news that the Georgia Department of Transportation was planning on spending $880 million on transportation projects in and around Interstate 75 and Interstate 16 in the next two decades. That’s a lot of money, and while there is celebration now about the idea of it, the reality will soon start to hit right between the axles.

The first phase of the work will widen I-16 from I-75 to Coliseum Drive from four to six lanes. Right now, traveling that stretch of road northbound can be a life-altering experience as two lanes disappear into one just north of Spring Street. Traffic that would like to continue on I-75 north that’s caught in the left lanes has to maneuver to the right lanes with very little asphalt to do it. While southbound traffic from I-75 to I-16 isn’t nearly as treacherous, it’s remarkably easy for drivers wanting to stay on I-75 south to miss the dog leg right and end up on I-16 east.

But that’s just one of the phases of the project and not the point of this comment. Traveling through a construction zone is always frustrating. There is no way to click Dorothy’s ruby red slippers and wake up and have it all better. No, ask the people who are living with the improvements (some would take issue with the usage of that word) of Forest Hill Road. And the scope of the I-16/I-75 work is more complex than Forest Hill Road and will impact huge volumes of traffic.

While we can all philosophically believe the project will make it all be better someday, that doesn’t help much when you’re sitting bumper to bumper with your newest best friends. And with the extensive construction time frame, children will be born and graduated from high school before the full completion of the project if plans remain as they are — and knowing the Georgia DOT, there are no guarantees.

This story was originally published November 17, 2016 at 9:00 PM with the headline "Good news, but it will be a long time coming."