Q&A on the News

Q: I am curious as to why on Piedmont Road, between Habersham Road and the Buckhead Loop, there is not a turn lane for that whole stretch? Inevitably, people want to turn in the area that does not have a turn lane and then they block traffic.

CATHERINE HAINING, ATLANTA

A: There is no continuous left turn lane on Piedmont Road between Habersham Road and the Lenox Road connector because previous design standards likely didn’t require one, according to the Georgia Department of Transportation.

While there are separate turn lanes for certain developments and streets along that stretch of Piedmont Road, GDOT notes that right-of-way and utility constraints could prevent widening the road to five lanes to continue the two-way left turn lane.

A two-way left turn lane generally is considered when the speed limit is at or below 45 mph and the average daily traffic counts are at or below 18,000-24,000, according to information from GDOT provided to Q&A on the News.

In urban areas where daily traffic exceeds that range, GDOT will, at times, leave two-way left turn lanes in place or add a median to manage access and difficult turning movements.

Q&A on the News runs Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Fast Copy News Service wrote this column; Dillon Thompson contributed. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).