Highways:
I-75: Enters Atlanta from the
Northwest and goes through the city exiting on the
South
I-85: Enters Atlanta from the Northeast-exits on
Southwest
I-20: Cuts across Atlanta going East and
West
I-285: (The Perimeter) Encircles the
city.
Complexities of Atlanta freeway driving can baffle newcomers.
Several of the freeways have trick signage...... not deliberately, of
course. It's just that the Dept of Transportation expects people to
KNOW where to get off, then it doesn't always tell you what lane to be in to
exit. Following is a crash course in Atlanta freeway
survival:
The city's basic freeway network circles the central city like
a wheel divided into quadrants by freeways whose spokes continue to the north,
west, east and south out to the rest of the region. Satellite cities
orbit around the city's heart, each with its own regional mall, business
districts and sometimes its own distinct ethnic population.
The outside
of the freeway wheel (I-285) is called the PERIMETER. It is like a
too-tight belt halfway inside the city (Atlanta sprawls for 30-50 miles in any
direction from Downtown). The north side of the I-285 Perimeter Hwy
between I-75 and across to Ashford-Dunwoody Road is called the TOP END
perimeter. It is a parking lot between 8-9 AM and between 4-6
PM. Avoid it if you can. Sometimes it is faster to go
south on I-85 then north on I-75 if you are headed from northeast to
northwest.
A strip of road on I-75 going through town is called the
DOWNTOWN CONNECTOR, beginning roughly at Williams St and continuing to the
Intersection of I-75 and I-20. Signage is good, but you have to have
a sharp, quick eye because exits and lanes come and go quickly. The
jumble begins at International Blvd. and becomes progressively more interesting
as you near Atlanta Fulton County Stadium. To get to Marietta on I-75
from I-285 east, stay in the two far right hand lanes. The third lane takes you
to Downtown on I-75 South. The left lanes continue your trip around
I-285.
Another place to use your MAP (before you get into the car) is the
Tom Moreland Interchange, a name nobody uses, on the city's northeast
side. Atlantans call it SPAGHETTI JUNCTION, and sometimes MALFUNCTION
JUNCTION, although it actually works rather well once you have figured it
out. Apparently designed by a maze master, this set of ramps from
everywhere else to I-85 and I-285 can be negotiated on a Sunday morning on an
exploratory basis. Until you have practiced a bit, do not attempt to
noodle around this interchange in the rain!! GOOD LUCK!!