Ice Turns Atlanta Interstates Into Parking Lots
Tuesday, January 11, 2011 at 8:03AM
Rick C.Limpert in Atlanta, Atlanta Snow, Atlanta ice, I 285 closed, News, Travel, Weather, icy, roads closed

I 285, I 75 in Cobb County, I 20, I 85 at GA 400; they are all closed and becoming a terrible problem for those in Atlanta trying to get anywhere.

A bad as the situation is at Hartsfield-Jackson Airport, the situation is worse on the roads, and is more ice in the way?

The Georgia Department Of Transportation warns road conditions are worse Tuesday morning. "It's just not wise to be out. My biggest concern is people will be going back to work, roads are going to be in worse shape tomorrow morning," David Spear, GDOT spokesman said. Spear said many roads that had already been treated with salt and gravel were starting to refreeze He urged drivers to stay off the roads until at least Tuesday afternoon.

CBS Atlanta reporters found trouble spots throughout Atlanta including 10th Street in midtown. The street had a thick layer of ice covering it. The driver of a Target tractor trailer lost control and had to call for a tow truck on 10th Street. Some drivers described driving on city streets as a nightmare.

"It took us about an hour and a half. We were by Lenox Mall. The one thing we can't do is try to go up hills. When we go up a hill we get stuck," driver Bishop Gibson said.

It's not very often that traffic comes to a stop on the heavily traveled I 285.

The Georgia Department of Transportation says it has closed the southern arc of the Perimeter. Here's the statement from the DOT:

Georgia DOT crews are currently facing very difficult and dangerous conditions around Metro Atlanta and specifically on the southern parts of I-285. Travel is impossible in many spots, so I-285 south of I-20 is currently closed. Crews are battling at least one inch of Ice on interstate roads and sustained temperatures below freezing causing extremely hazardous driving conditions throughout the metro region. Dangerous icing conditions persist. H.E.R.O. trucks are rerouting the traffic where possible in an attempt to clear the roads for the work crews to treat the interstates.

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