GA-400 & Exit 10/Old Milton Pkwy Traffic Nightmares (Atlanta, Alpharetta: how much, hotel)

[bravomey]

I recently realized how much worse than expected my reverse commute has been. I live ITP (Chamblee) and my office is up GA-400 NB at Avalon (Exit 10).

Earlier this week, I went in late around 11am and all seemed well until I got off 400 NB at Old Milton. Lately, the overpass ramp gets clogged due to so many cars turning left from Old Milton Pkwy WB to get on GA-400 SB. Both turning lanes will back up to the point where it blocks people exiting left off of GA-400 NB. Today I sat through 4 light cycles...it took about 10 minutes until people finally started squeezing around. Seems to be a poorly designed interchange in an increasingly heavily trafficked area, no?

Then, to make matters worse, in the afternoon some brush caught on fire just off the shoulder of 400 and literally gridlocked traffic all ways on Old Milton. Cars were backed all the way up the onramp and into the dreaded interchange and there was no way around it except to cross over to Haynes Bridge Rd (which was clogged as an alternate too).

On two other occasions this week, it took me 45 minutes one way to get back home in the afternoon. The main culprit is the lane closures and construction at 285/400 .... GA 400 SB traffic usually is bumper to bumper for 5 miles, sometimes all the way in from Northridge Rd/Exit 6. The alternates haven't been too kind either.

Has anyone else experienced similar traffic nightmares, and does anyone have advice on alternates or how to get around these hotspot areas? Thought this was an important topic as traffic seems to be getting heavier in recent weeks and only figures to grow worse moving forward.

Thank you

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally Posted by bravomey

I recently realized how much worse than expected my reverse commute has been. I live ITP (Chamblee) and my office is up GA-400 NB at Avalon (Exit 10).

Earlier this week, I went in late around 11am and all seemed well until I got off 400 NB at Old Milton. Lately, the overpass ramp gets clogged due to so many cars turning left from Old Milton Pkwy WB to get on GA-400 SB. Both turning lanes will back up to the point where it blocks people exiting left off of GA-400 NB. Today I sat through 4 light cycles...it took about 10 minutes until people finally started squeezing around. Seems to be a poorly designed interchange in an increasingly heavily trafficked area, no?

Then, to make matters worse, in the afternoon some brush caught on fire just off the shoulder of 400 and literally gridlocked traffic all ways on Old Milton. Cars were backed all the way up the onramp and into the dreaded interchange and there was no way around it except to cross over to Haynes Bridge Rd (which was clogged as an alternate too).

On two other occasions this week, it took me 45 minutes one way to get back home in the afternoon. The main culprit is the lane closures and construction at 285/400 .... GA 400 SB traffic usually is bumper to bumper for 5 miles, sometimes all the way in from Northridge Rd/Exit 6. The alternates haven't been too kind either.

Has anyone else experienced similar traffic nightmares, and does anyone have advice on alternates or how to get around these hotspot areas? Thought this was an important topic as traffic seems to be getting heavier in recent weeks and only figures to grow worse moving forward.

Thank you

Unfortunately that part of the Atlanta metro area (the Georgia 400 North corridor) is a part of the metro that is notable for its dearth of alternative routes in an Atlanta metropolitan area that is notable for its dearth of alternative routes as a whole.

With the explosion of business and industrial development in the Alpharetta area in recent years, the use of GA-400 northbound to commute towards Alpharetta in the morning and the use of GA-400 southbound to commute away from Alpharetta in the afternoon/evening likely no longer can be considered to a reverse-commute.

If the GA-400 roadway is giving you problems as a supposed reverse commute route during morning and afternoon/evening rush hours, try using GA-141 Peachtree Boulevard/Peachtree Parkway/Medlock Bridge Road northbound to State Bridge Road/GA-120 Old Milton Road westbound to Avalon in the morning. And try using the same route in reverse when returning back home to Chamblee during the afternoon/evening rush hour.

GA-141 NB > State Bridge Rd/GA-120 Old Milton Pkwy WB > Avalon during the morning rush hour and vice-versa during the afternoon/evening rush hour will have its challenges, most notably potentially in the shared school zone around Johns Creek High School and State Bridge Crossing Elementary School along State Bridge Road just west of the GA-141 Medlock Bridge Road junction in Johns Creek.

But hopefully GA-141 NB > State Bridge Rd/GA-120 Old Milton Pkwy WB > Avalon in the morning and vice-versa in the afternoon might be able to provide comparatively less-challenging rush hour commutes while enabling you to avoid the major construction zone at the I-285/GA-400 interchange.

[testa50]

This isn’t helpful at all, but…you consider 45 minutes to go Chamblee to Alpharetta a traffic nightmare?

That’s pretty much what I’d expect it to take during rush hour.

And there’s no such thing as a counter-commute anymore, FYI. Non existent.

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally Posted by testa50

This isn’t helpful at all, but…you consider 45 minutes to go Chamblee to Alpharetta a traffic nightmare?

That’s pretty much what I’d expect it to take during rush hour.

And there’s no such thing as a counter-commute anymore, FYI. Non existent.

testa50 raises a very good and important point, which is that, for better or for worse, a 45-minute one-way commute between Northside communities like Chamblee and Alpharetta along crowded Northside commuter routes like I-285 and GA-400 is considered a fairly light rush hour commute by North metro Atlanta standards.

Heck, any commute that covers a distance of any significance in under an hour is considered to be a fairly light rush hour commute by the standards of a heavily developed and heavily congested area like North metro Atlanta.

But even with that standard, you probably could still try the GA-141 NB > State Bridge Rd/GA-120 Old Milton Pkwy WB route (and vice-versa) between Chamblee and Avalon/Alpharetta to see if it potentially might could work better for you than the I-285 WB > GA-400 NB route currently may seem to be working for you.

[capoeira]

Originally Posted by bravomey

I recently realized how much worse than expected my reverse commute has been. I live ITP (Chamblee) and my office is up GA-400 NB at Avalon (Exit 10).

Earlier this week, I went in late around 11am and all seemed well until I got off 400 NB at Old Milton. Lately, the overpass ramp gets clogged due to so many cars turning left from Old Milton Pkwy WB to get on GA-400 SB. Both turning lanes will back up to the point where it blocks people exiting left off of GA-400 NB. Today I sat through 4 light cycles...it took about 10 minutes until people finally started squeezing around. Seems to be a poorly designed interchange in an increasingly heavily trafficked area, no?

How about getting off two exits early to avoid the Exit 10 backup. This route might help. Getting off one exit early might also work better depending on traffic.

https://goo.gl/maps/ETRhYDLmEiTjzB4bA

[Citykid3785]

I dealt with this going to a show at the conference center at the hotel at Avalon. We ended up arriving late.

To me, one of Atlanta’s (and the south in general) biggest problems is not enough on/off ramps along highways. It would seem to me that relatively speaking, it would be inexpensive to add more on/off ramps, which would drastically improve traffic flow

Kimball bridge, encore, mcginnis……they should all have ramps

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by Citykid3785

I dealt with this going to a show at the conference center at the hotel at Avalon. We ended up arriving late.

To me, one of Atlanta’s (and the south in general) biggest problems is not enough on/off ramps along highways. It would seem to me that relatively speaking, it would be inexpensive to add more on/off ramps, which would drastically improve traffic flow

Kimball bridge, encore, mcginnis……they should all have ramps

I like the way they do some of those roads in Dallas, where you have a bunch of access-type roads running alongside the freeway with more access points.

[bravomey]

Originally Posted by Born 2 Roll

Unfortunately that part of the Atlanta metro area (the Georgia 400 North corridor) is a part of the metro that is notable for its dearth of alternative routes in an Atlanta metropolitan area that is notable for its dearth of alternative routes as a whole.

With the explosion of business and industrial development in the Alpharetta area in recent years, the use of GA-400 northbound to commute towards Alpharetta in the morning and the use of GA-400 southbound to commute away from Alpharetta in the afternoon/evening likely no longer can be considered to a reverse-commute.

If the GA-400 roadway is giving you problems as a supposed reverse commute route during morning and afternoon/evening rush hours, try using GA-141 Peachtree Boulevard/Peachtree Parkway/Medlock Bridge Road northbound to State Bridge Road/GA-120 Old Milton Road westbound to Avalon in the morning. And try using the same route in reverse when returning back home to Chamblee during the afternoon/evening rush hour.

GA-141 NB > State Bridge Rd/GA-120 Old Milton Pkwy WB > Avalon during the morning rush hour and vice-versa during the afternoon/evening rush hour will have its challenges, most notably potentially in the shared school zone around Johns Creek High School and State Bridge Crossing Elementary School along State Bridge Road just west of the GA-141 Medlock Bridge Road junction in Johns Creek.

But hopefully GA-141 NB > State Bridge Rd/GA-120 Old Milton Pkwy WB > Avalon in the morning and vice-versa in the afternoon might be able to provide comparatively less-challenging rush hour commutes while enabling you to avoid the major construction zone at the I-285/GA-400 interchange.

Thanks for the advice, I will give this route another try. I will say that PIB/GA-141 is usually quick and painless, but it hasn't been the same with GA-120/Old Milton Pkwy from my experience. In the afternoon, t seems to always back up all the way from GA-400 to Kimball Bridge Rd and then again approaching the shared school zone you mention.

Old Milton just seems like a headache all around. Do you think maybe taking Old Alabama Rd to GA-141 might be a better alternate?

Also, is the dearth of alternative routes through this area (as you noted) mainly because of the Chattahoochee River? For example, another alternate route I tried is Barnwell Rd, but that backs up to GA-140 and then left on Holcomb Bridge can be a nightmare through Spalding Drive. It would make it a lot easier if there were a connector road that ran from Jones Bridge straight to 141. Same with if there were a connector from Riverside Rd to Spalding Drive. It almost seems as if the Chattahoochee serves as some kind of unofficial divider that prevents any roads from running North to South in between GA 400/GA-140 and then between GA-140/GA-120.

[bravomey]

Originally Posted by testa50

This isn’t helpful at all, but…you consider 45 minutes to go Chamblee to Alpharetta a traffic nightmare?

That’s pretty much what I’d expect it to take during rush hour.

And there’s no such thing as a counter-commute anymore, FYI. Non existent.

Yes, I understand what you are saying - 45 minutes is not a bad commute. But relative to my expectations I thought going from OTP to ITP in the afternoon (15 miles) would be closer to 30-35 min at the worst, not consistently 45 min.

[bravomey]

Originally Posted by Citykid3785

I dealt with this going to a show at the conference center at the hotel at Avalon. We ended up arriving late.

To me, one of Atlanta’s (and the south in general) biggest problems is not enough on/off ramps along highways. It would seem to me that relatively speaking, it would be inexpensive to add more on/off ramps, which would drastically improve traffic flow

Kimball bridge, encore, mcginnis……they should all have ramps

Yes, exactly what I am saying. Avalon is getting overcrowded and Exit 10 is an absolute nightmare. I guess maybe the interchange wasn't poorly designed if they never foresaw this magnitude of volume on the surface streets. But something needs to be done, because it is backing up traffic all the way down the offramp and onto GA-400 travel lanes.

More entry/exit points will definitely ease the burden.