City of Atlanta Urges Motorists to Stay off the Roads

The City of Atlanta is urging motorists to stay off the roads this evening due to the dropping temperature and icy conditions. If driving is unavoidable, use extreme caution.

The E-911 Center is busier than usual due to an increase in calls for assistance. Please exercise judgment when calling 911 and do so only for urgent situations or emergencies.

Residents should call (404) 853-3200 to report icy road conditions, downed trees/debris.

Drivers can call 511 for road updates and check conditions of interstates and state highways. This information is also available online at http://www.georgia-navigator.com/

On Sunday evening, City maintenance began spreading a mixture of sand and salt over all bridges and overpasses and segments of street with steep gradients using a priority route system based on traffic volumes and locations of employment centers and hospitals.

All eight of the City’s sand trucks are operational. Public Works maintenance staff are working rotational 24 hour shifts. GDOT is currently spreading a salt mixture on the interstates.

The roadways have been divided into four categories:

First Priority - 100 centerline miles of roadway that must be kept open for the health and safety of citizens.

Second Priority - 83 miles of roadway to give each household a road within 2 miles that would be passable for public or private transit.

Third Priority - All other arterial and collector streets

Fourth Priority - Residential streets In addition to completing priority routes, crews will canvass designated areas and respond to dispatched calls received from Police and other emergency personnel as well as reports from citizens. Motorists are reminded to exercise extreme caution as icy conditions can still be dangerous despite sanding.