Published Monday, June 30, 2008

It would be a good idea to avoid travel along dangerous Interstate 85

Editorial

It's time for Coweta County residents to avoid travel on Interstate 85, if possible. In less than a week, there are been three massive multi-vehicle traffic accidents on the interstate in our county that have jammed traffic for hours.

Each of these major wrecks took place in highway construction areas. Stormy weather may have contributed to two of the pileups.

Even before these recent multi-vehicle accidents, authorities reported a significant increase in wrecks on the interstate within the past year. For well over a year, every mile of I-85 in Coweta -- plus a stretch south of Coweta in Meriwether and a much longer stretch in South Fulton north of Coweta have been undergoing construction. That construction will continue at least for another 18 months. The scheduled deadline is for the work to be completed by the end of 2009. Too often construction deadlines are not met.

As the construction has progressed, more barriers have been erected. There have been recurring lane changes and shifting of traffic. When the new inside lanes that are now being constructed are completed, workers will begin rebuilding the outside lanes. We will experience more and more lane changes and more and more barriers during the next 18 months.

With all this work, it's obvious that more accidents will occur. When weather is bad, the chances for an accident is substantially greater.

The bottom line is I-85 in our area is an accident waiting to happen.

That's why local motorists must strongly consider alternative routes to the interstate. The most obvious choice would be U.S. 29, which runs the length of our county. There are other alternatives depending on where you are going.

We suggest Coweta motorists consider alternatives to I-85. The dangers are too great otherwise.