Readers report on interstates less traveled across metro Atlanta

I started thinking the other day about whether or not there was any freeway in Atlanta that I had ever not driven upon. In the WSB Skycopter, we cannot easily fly over roads in Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport’s close airspace. But we do sporadically gain clearance to fly over parts of I-285, I-85, and I-75 there. So from the air, I definitely have flown over every freeway in metro Atlanta.

As I thought about where I had not driven, I posed the same question to my Twitter and Facebook accounts and also to the “WSB Traffic Troopers” Facebook group. This non-scientific, extremely informal poll drew a few dozen responses. And those answers were all over the place.

The most common response — 13 to be exact — was that people had driven on every part of every metro Atlanta interstate. That got nine more answers than any other. However, this number is skewed by the fact that a number of our WSB Traffic Troopers (people who call in traffic info to us) drive for a living. But even some longtime Atlanta residents not in that job sphere answered the same way.

The next-most common answer was the section that I haven’t driven: The southwest quarter of I-285 between I-20 and I-85 in south Fulton County. Four people answered this way. I’ve actually driven at least once between I-20 and Camp Creek Parkway, but never between Camp Creek and I-85. This is because I have lived most of my life in north DeKalb County, so no route efficiently takes me through that area and I have never had a job there.

Three people said they had never been on I-675, two had never graced I-575, and one had never driven on I-985. This makes sense, as those are spur interstates, which only connect with one other expressway.

Two respondents said they had not driven on I-85 south of town — one had never been past the airport and neither bad been south of Newnan. This means both are two of the rare Atlanta resident who has not driven to Destin or Panama City!

Two other respondents said they had never been on any part of I-20 — one of the longest freeways in America. Another said they had never driven on I-20 between I-285 on the west side and I-75/85, the Downtown Connector.

One personhad not driven on I-75 north of Kennesaw in over 25 years, which means they have not been to Cartersville or Tennessee in that time. Another said they hadn’t driven on Highway 78 out to Stone Mountain, but I don’t think they live in Atlanta.

Then came the two most surprising responses. One was a trucker who said he had never been on GA-400 inside the Perimeter, which means he’s never been to Lenox. He says the restric- tion on 18-wheelers inside the Perimeter is the reason why. And another said they had never been on I-285, the east side Perimeter, between I-85 and I-20. That is the only person who said they had never been on a part of I-285 above I-20.

One common response — four people in total said this — was the I-85 H.O.T. lanes in Gwinnett. Those do not count as entire freeways, but the snarkiness in those comments shows how some still have not warmed up to those reflexive toll lanes six years later.

I-75, I-85, and GA-400 within 15 miles north of I-285 got zero responses, along with most of I-285 north of I-20, I-75 in Clayton and Henry between I-285 and McDonough, and, of course, the Downtown Connector.

There are not many conclusions to draw from this scatterplot of answers. But they do show that many Atlantans have been far and wide around the metro area and how far sprawled out the city’s residents are. It also may highlight how complex any wide-ranging mass transit solution can be.