With the excitement and potential added stress associated with the holiday season and the increased holiday traffic, the Georgia Department of Transportation (Georgia DOT) is helping make holiday dreams come true by suspending construction-related lane closures on interstate highways, heavily traveled state routes and roadways near major shopping centers, malls, shopping districts and tourist locations.

Lane closure restrictions are as follows: 

Christmas - no lane closures from 6 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 22 to 10 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 26.

New Year’s – no lane closures from 6 a.m. Sunday, Dec. 30 to 5 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 2.

“If you plan to travel during the holidays, I urge you to drive defensively, be extra cautious and alert, and make sure to put the phone down,” said John Hancock, Georgia DOT’s State Construction Engineer. “The holiday season tends to be one of the most deadly times to travel on our roadways due to an uptick in holiday drinking and driving. If you choose to drink, find a designated driver to get you home safely.”

The Department reminds travelers to exercise caution as crews may still work in proximity to highways and safety concerns may require some long-term lane closures to remain in place. Also, incident management or emergency, maintenance-related lane closures could become necessary at any time on any interstate or state route.

For up-to-date information about travel conditions on Georgia’s interstates and state routes, call 511 or visit www.511ga.org before heading out. 511 is a free service that provides real-time statewide information on Georgia’s interstates and state routes, including traffic conditions, incidents, lane closures, and delays due to inclement weather 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Callers can also transfer to operators to request HERO assistance in metro Atlanta or CHAMP service on highways in other regions of the state.