Local

Neighborhood Near I-85 Collapse Feels Traffic Pressure

April 12th, 2017

Since the collapse of the Interstate 85 overpass, many people have had to find creative ways to get where they need to be. But neighborhoods near the collapse site have had to deal with more traffic as a result.

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The traffic in Morningside is so bad these days, it’s hard for locals to even get off their block. Winston Wiant, a Morningside resident, said ever since the bridge collapsed, a lot more drivers have been cutting through her neighborhood.

“I pretty much have to go the opposite way and then go down a side street and then turn around and then come back out onto the street, because I can’t even get out of our driveway,” Wiant said.

Scott Dettwiler lives in Morningside too. He said because of the neighborhood’s location, drivers gravitate towards it.

“The Buford Highway exit is the last exit before the closure, and so everybody gets diverted onto Piedmont and Cheshire, which cross my neighborhood,” he said.

Jen James, another resident, said people try to use apps like Waze and Google Maps to find other ways around the traffic, but that only adds to the traffic in Morningside.

“If that app shows the same alternative route to everybody, that neighborhood’s going to be very upset,” James said.

But some Morningside residents say the crowded streets aren’t even their biggest concern.

Susanna Roberts has two children who go to Morningside Elementary. They usually walk there every morning and afternoon. She said frustrated drivers now tend to speed through areas with less traffic — areas like her neighborhood.

“That’s my fear, we can deal with traffic, I just need everybody to be a little bit more patient because we have so many kids that walk here, it’s a safety concern,” Roberts said.

The school doesn’t provide buses for children who live within a mile of the school, she said, so for the next few months she’s going to drive her kids to school, just to be safe.