ground transportation

Central to Atlanta’s national prominence as a transportation hub is its ground transportation infrastructure, the progressive development of which has proven vital to the economy of the Southeast. Atlanta is one of only five cities in the U.S. served by three major interstate highways, and one of five with a rapid rail station inside the airport terminal.

TRIP (The Road Information System Project), a nonprofit organization that monitors the quality of the nation’s highway system, named Georgia’s roads and bridges the best in the United States. The Federal Highway Administration also rated Georgia first in the nation for having the lowest percent of poorly paved roads. Metro Atlanta’s modern and efficient ground transportation system enhances the value of metro-based business operations by providing affordable and convenient transportation options.

HIGHWAYS AND ROADS

The Georgia Department of Transportation (DOT) provides a high quality and efficient transportation system. For example, its Road Improvement Program is placing 98 percent of Georgia’s population within 20 miles of a multi-lane highway. The state’s new interstate monitoring system’s cameras and light boards alert Atlanta motorists to road conditions ahead. High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes continue to facilitate traffic flow through the region.

Georgia’s ground network consists of 110,000 miles of public roads, 18,000 miles of which are on the state highway system. Current road upgrades and expansions, along with other surface transportation improvements, are included in the Atlanta Regional Transportation Improvement Program that was developed in response to the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA). In 1998, ISTEA was continued with passage of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21), which
provided for increased funds for enhancements over the ISTEA program such as: multi-use facilities, historic resources, transportation aesthetics and scenic preservation. For more information, check the Georgia DOT Web site at www.dot.state.ga.us.

The Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) serves as a catalyst for regional progress by focusing leadership, attention and planning resources on key regional issues. Transportation is one of those key issues. In the Atlanta region, the main modes of freight transportation are truck, rail, and air. Efficient, safe, and secure freight transportation systems are the backbone of our region. Trucks are by far the most dominant mode of freight and goods movement accounting for over 80 percent of goods transported. The ARC has created a Freight Advisory Task Force to address key challenges including congestion, environment, operations and national security. The increasing traffic volume has strained our transportation system and has increased conflict between traveling public freight movement. Balancing the need for efficient secure movement of goods and people in region with concerns of improved safety, accessibility, and mobility will continue to be a major interest of the ARC. For more information on the work of the Freight Advisor Task Force visit http://www.atlantaregional.com/transportationair/freightplanning.html.

The Georgia Regional Transportation Authority (GRTA) was created in 1998 by the Georgia Legislature to conduct regional transportation and land use planning that will help preserve the state’s high quality of life and sustain its rapid economic growth. Transportation options including car pools in HOV lanes, express buses and bicycle/pedestrian paths will be more fully developed to help alleviate traffic problems and air pollution. For more information, go to GRTA’s Web site at www.grta.org.

Other useful sites include:

• www.georgia-navigator.com The Georgia Navigator, a Georgia DOT site, provides real-time transportation information including road closures, travel times and traffic views.
• www.georgiahighways.8m.com The Unofficial Georgia Highways Web Page, “established by and for self-proclaimed road geeks,” with detailed information on highways and roads and links to other highway-related sites

Truck Transit Times from Atlanta to Anywhere in the U.S.

MOTOR FREIGHT CARRIERS

Motor freight carriers provide a vital link among the metro area’s air and rail facilities, southeastern ports and major U.S. markets. Statewide, there are more than 75 Class-A scheduled motor carriers and more than 2,000 irregular intrastate route carriers, contract haulers and commodity carriers that serve points not reached by the scheduled carriers.

A number of carriers operate in and/or through Georgia under the authority of the Interstate Commerce Commission. Carriers also may be subject to regulation by the Georgia Public Service Commission. The Georgia Motor Trucking Association represents more than 400 of the state’s for-hire carriers, 400 private carriers and others.

More than 300 motor carriers operate in metropolitan Atlanta.

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