TRAFFIC SOLUTIONS: Easing Atlanta's traffic congestion

ATLANTA — One of the biggest complaints in metro Atlanta is traffic.

Over the next month, Channel 2 Action News will take an in-depth look at solutions to our traffic problems across the metro.

Channel 2 consumer investigator Jim Strickland shows us how one local city installed a new bridge in just one weekend, TOMORROW on Channel 2 Action News at 6 p.m.

We'll be taking a hard look at the projects, plans and proposals aimed at making your commute faster and easier.

The Interstate 85 bridge collapse doubled commute times and exposed just how dependent metro Atlantans are on our interstates and roads.

"Atlanta traffic is just bad all around the board," driver Jae Gresham said.

The Georgia Department of Transportation told Channel 2 investigative reporter Aaron Diamant it is all in on several major projects it believes could alleviate the problem.

[READ: Atlanta traffic among worst in the world, study finds]

GDOT's Jay Roberts told Diamant its research shows new truck-only lanes on Interstate 75 between McDonough and Macon will help.

"After looking at it they come back and they said this project will relieve congestion by 40 percent," Roberts said.

Peachtree Road is a major artery through the city of Atlanta, and GDOT hopes removing one northbound lane to create a continuous left turn lane will reduce back-ups.

But some drivers are skeptical.

"I also drive this road often, almost every day, and three lanes each side doesn't seem like enough," driver Taryn Kirbo said.

[STUDY: Atlanta drivers waste 52 hours in traffic a year]

Over the next month, Channel 2 Action News will also show you innovative approaches other cities are taking, such as an aerial tram in Portland, Oregon, and the role self-driving cars could play.

"Your vehicle will be talking to the traffic signals. It will be talking to the roadways," GDOT Commissioner Russell McMurry said.

We'll also explore the role of public transportation and break down the cost and challenges to extending MARTA rail service, to get more cars off the street.

McMurray believes ultimately it will take a combination of projects and cooperation with partners such as MARTA to ease often crippling congestion.

[READ: 3 Atlanta roads make list of worst bottlenecks in the country]

"There's really no one solution for transportation improvement as it relates to congestion and improve mobility. It's all the things that have to come together," McMurry told Diamant.

Our series begins Thursday on Channel 2 Action News at 6 p.m. with an exclusive look at some innovative new ways the state builds bridges faster, keeping lanes open longer and reducing headaches for drivers during construction.

Cox Media Group