Over the river and
thru the insane traffic
to Grampa’s house
we go.

Our pals at the Department of Transportation (DOT) are not a bunch of turkeys!  They’re good eggs!  And they’re sticking their necks out for motorists this Thanksgiving Holiday weekend.

To help local folks and outsiders passing through the Great State of Georgia arrive at their Thanksgiving holiday destinations without being gobbled up in traffic, the DOT is suspending construction-related lane closures on Interstates and major state routes.

As of noon on Wednesday, November 27, 2013 and extending until 9 PM, Sunday, December 1, 2013, road crews will only be working on incident management or emergency, maintenance-related lane closures that can happen anytime on any route.

If motorists will stop texting, checking e-mail, Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, Yahoo and putting on makeup at 75 MPH, we’ll only have to worry about the zoned-out morons talking on their phones, oblivious to other cars on the road.

“Historically, there are about 3,000 accidents on Georgia roads during the Thanksgiving holiday period,” Georgia DOT District Engineer Bayne Smith explained. “On average, more than a dozen people die and a thousand more are injured.  This is supposed to be a holiday for grateful contemplation and festive family gatherings, not tragedy.  Please be very careful and do not drive distracted or while impaired.”

Motorists can access real-time, statewide, route-specific information on accidents, road work, traffic and weather conditions through Georgia 511 – a free phone service.  By dialing 511, callers also can transfer to operators to 24 hours a day to report incidents or request assistance.  The system can be used to access transit providers, major airports, rideshare organizations, tourism information and 511 systems in surrounding states.  Additionally, 511 is available online. 

Georgia DOT partners with sponsors for assistance in funding 511, thereby preserving tax dollars and helping sustain critical services.  For more information about 511, visit 511ga.org.  For more information on Georgia DOT, please visit www.dot.ga.gov or follow us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/GeorgiaDOT) and Twitter (http://twitter.com/gadeptoftrans).