(please note that my co-worker and I were also in Atlanta for
the Big Snow of January 11, 2011)
We started the day in Tucker, GA –east side of Atlanta, our
job was just inside the Perimeter aka I-285, which is the perimeter road that
goes all the way around the city. In the
late morning we drove about 85 miles to the East on I-20, and around 12:30pm it
started to rain, but it was freezing rain, which is to say that the sound was
like large grains of sand hitting the wind shield, but little moisture appeared
on the glass. The freezing rain
continued in that area for the next 2 or 3 hours.
On our way back to Tucker, when we reached the Lithonia
area, still on I-20 the rain turned to snow.
It was impressive in that it reduced visibility, but not really
significant as the snowflakes were tiny.
We dropped off the hearing truck in Tucker and got on I-285.
And the adventure began…. Traffic was light, and it was easily possible
to go as fast as 40mph. So we made good
time for about 5 minutes, and then we came to the backed up traffic. Apparently there was either an accident or a
breakdown (or both) about 5 miles ahead of our location. The Google GPS in my phone showed symbols for
accidents and breakdowns. Traffic
barely moved for the next hour and a half.
(photo from WSB Facebook page 01/28/2014)
I believe that the main problem is that so many of the
locals are afraid to go more than 2mph – I am NOT exaggerating that at
all!!! I passed a great many people who
were barely moving. In my opinion that
is just plain stupid, because, with the proper following distance I could so
easily go 25 to 30 without sliding.
Another problem is that there a lot of hills and a lot of idiots who
just stand on the accelerator and they wonder why they can’t get traction on
the ice. On a side street --it must have
really freaked them out that I just slalomed on through with no traction
problem at all. It was only after we
decided to turn around and go back that those who could not get traction were
getting to the top of the hill.
We proceeded to the other side of the highway and there
found La Botana Tex Mex Restaurant and decided to have dinner –and use the ‘facilities’. We had been on the road for 2 -1/2 hours and
had traveled 8.7 miles from our starting point in Tucker.
A particular annoyance during all of this was people who
kept their hazard lights flashing. It
was hard to know if they were moving or not.
We started to just call them the “stupid people”. It does no good at all to keep your hazard
lights flashing in a situation such as this, it confuses and annoys others.
We spent over an hour on a ramp, waiting to get back onto
285. This is where we started to see
people walking. They were coming up the
ramp from the highway. A man with a
backpack, who stopped and talked to someone in a car ahead of us. A lady carrying a bundle that proved to be a
small child, with a blanket over it’s head and a tiny pair of booted feet
dangling out the bottom. A man and
woman, who later returned with 3 children over the age of 7 (I am guessing because
of the size of the children compared to the adults.) this little group was later seen, by us,
walking up a different ramp exiting the highway. All the while we noticed the random school
bus, and I prayed that there were not children in those school buses, but
according to the radio there were , in fact, a great many children still on
school busses that could not reach their destinations. We also heard on the radio (WSB talk radio)
that there were children who never left school and were spending the night,
along with the school’s staff as no one could get home anyway.
(photo from WSB Facebook page 01/28/2014)
By 12:50 am we had again been sitting in traffic for another
3+ hours,… and we had not gone more than 11 miles from our starting point in
Tucker. I had spent over an hour
watching an ambulance, first just the reflection of the flashing lights off of
other vehicles behind us, and then it passed us and wove on through the traffic
until it finally came to a standstill, as it appeared had all of the traffic
ahead of us. By luck we were just before
an exit ramp. We decided to get off of
285 and look for a bathroom.
After a few
blocks on Roswell Road NE in the Sandy Springs area we did find a McDonald’s. The parking lot was full, some cars empty and
others with engines running and McDonald’s food wrappers on dashboards, but
there was a sign on the McDonald’s door that stated that only the drive up was
open, so we got back on the road.
At this point we had decided to not bother trying to go back
to 285, as there was a long line of cars waiting to do just that. We went in the opposite direction—away from
285, with no other traffic at all. My
co-worker used his gps to find a route for us to take. We followed Johnson Ferry Road NE in a
north-westerly direction. Until we saw
the police officer….. On Johnson Ferry Road Northwest near Riverside Drive
Northwest - ICE covered roadway – uphill like a 6% grade –very steep uphill….. the police officer
directed us to drive North in the Southbound lanes. The Northbound lanes were filled with
apparently abandoned cars. It was a tense few minutes trying to get up
the steep grade without letting the car come to a stop in a line of cars –not
easy at all. There was a lady in a
Volkswagen Beetle who more of less led the charge, real gutsy lady. At the top of the incline there were more
cars that were stuck, and there was someone with a large pickup truck, who we
guessed was going to try to get some of those stuck vehicles moving again.
We proceeded in a Northerly direction until we found an open
gas station/convenience store. There were restrooms, and some folks who were
interested to hear of our adventure of the previous 8 hours. They advised us to
continue Northward to Roswell Road NE.
That is what we did.
Once on Roswell Road we proceeded at a reasonable pace of
about 25mph on very slick roads. There
were abandoned cars everywhere, some still in the roadway, left wherever the drivers
became too afraid to proceed.
On Roswell Road NE between
Robinson Rd NE and N Marietta Parkway NE heading towards N Marietta
Pkwy, there is a rather steep downhill again like a 6% grade. ICE covered roadway. There traffic was just at a complete
standstill, with a garbage “scow” big truck at an angle blocking two
lanes. I was able to drive down the
steep grade, with my foot on the brakes most of the way down. We slid just a little bit and I aimed for
where dry pavement could be seen, and the minivan stopped. Then I was able to proceed, simply by taking
my foot off the brake pedal, to the bottom of the hill and make a right turn
onto N Marietta Parkway NE. This road
was completely deserted and dark, with only abandoned cars lining the side of
the road, side by side by side, all parked at an angle. I was able to go 35 mph, with no obstructions
or inclines.
At approximately 1:45am we entered a nearly deserted
Interstate 75. There was a light snow
covering on most of the roadway, with some pavement showing through where
previous travelers had made it through. On I-75 it was possible to go 40 to 45
mph. Along the way, I am guessing it was
the Kennesaw area, there was a traffic backup on the Southbound lanes that went
on for 8 miles!
They were parked for the night..... Cars, some abandoned, semi’s, and all kinds of other vehichles.
They were parked for the night..... Cars, some abandoned, semi’s, and all kinds of other vehichles.
The farther North I drove the better the condition of the
roads, and by Cartersville I was able to go 55mph. At about 4:45am we pulled into McDonald’s in
Dalton, Georgia.
After that the roads were clear,
very little snow or ice, and by the other side of Monteagle no snow or ice on
the roads at all. The rest of the trip
was uneventful. It took us 24 hours to
travel approximately 815 miles, but we finally made it back to Rockford,
Illinois –sunshine and about 20 degrees.
--the day after the storm
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
My post to the WSB Facebook page: we are from northern
Illinois, and we listened to your informative programming Tuesday night. we
were on 285 for 9 hours ..out of Tucker, trying to get to I-75 north. I don't
know where we got off the interstate, but that's when the fun began. on some
ferry road, south of Roswell-- over the hills. lots of fun driving up steep,
ice-coated hills. made our way up to Roswell Rd, headed west toward I-75. more
ice coated hills. the last hill ..down to Marietta Hwy was a. real doozy!!
but we are from the North, and we know "how it's done"; got around all the stopped cars and made it down. got on I-75 ok. saw a 8 mile southbound stretch packed full of stopped vehicles. there must be 1,000s of abandoned vehicles on the north end of Atlanta-- all over the roads, and in the breakdown lanes. anyway, we made it Tucker to Dalton in 13 hours. made it out alive.... (from my Galaxy III, blah, blah, blah)
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HEY ATLANTA! THIS IS A SNOW REMOVAL PLAN:
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but we are from the North, and we know "how it's done"; got around all the stopped cars and made it down. got on I-75 ok. saw a 8 mile southbound stretch packed full of stopped vehicles. there must be 1,000s of abandoned vehicles on the north end of Atlanta-- all over the roads, and in the breakdown lanes. anyway, we made it Tucker to Dalton in 13 hours. made it out alive.... (from my Galaxy III, blah, blah, blah)
==============================================+++++++++++++++==================
HEY ATLANTA! THIS IS A SNOW REMOVAL PLAN:
_____________________________________________________________________
this pretty well sums up our exit from Atlanta....
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and:
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