The Atlanta Constitution from Atlanta, Georgia • 6

I Concrete Circle Atlanta Closii on L285 Is earing Completion; Task Force Makes the Rounds Interstate 285, the sweeping perimeter highway which will circle Atlanta, is nearing completion with each passing month, as 13 more miles of the system will open by mid-September. Highway officials set the completion date of the perimeter system for October, 1969; for the past several years, however, September to See Road Needing Only 13 Miles By LESLIE LAIRD Foot by foot, and mile by mile, a great concrete circle, started 10 years ago this summer, is gradually beginning to enclose the Atlanta area. 'I III' I II nancing program until 1974, so some parts of Georgia's share of the interstate system (over 1,100 miles) may not be complete until as late as 1976. The dates on the circumferential highway are firm, however, and work should be complete by late 1969. Based on money spent on the projects, the section due to open in September 1969 now is 42 per cent complete, and the one scheduled for October is 38 per cent complete." SOME USING THEM Although not officially opened, both segments of 1-285 running north and south of 1-20 are busily servicing motorists who choose to ignore large warning posters that the roads are Joe McTjre Bab Rohrer With the opening Aug.

24 of a 7.3-mile segment between 1-20 ard East Ponce de Leon Avenue and the opening in early September of a 5.6-mile segment running south from 1-20 to U.S. 23, 1-285, more commonly known as the perimeter or circumferential highway, will be 13 miles away from its goal of circling the city. The last two sections In the 63-mile perimeter are scheduled for completion in the fall of 1969: 5.5 miles of road between East Ponce de Leon and Cham-blee-Tucker Road will be opened in September, and the last segment, linking U.S. 41 to the Bankhead Highway, is scheduled to open October 15 of that year. ORIGINALLY 1972 Uillt Lilrd the interstate has been serving thousands of motorists a day, as out-of-town travelers and nearby motorists make use of open segments of the highway.

Constitution reporter Bob Rohrer contacted experts for appraisals of the economic impact of 1-285 on Atlanta, reporter Leslie Laird studied the progress of the road in planning and construction, and Joe McTyre supplied the pictures for this week's Task Force Report. closed. struction contracts, we could," says Letford, "but in II If 1 1 1 1 11 l. uriginaiiy, ine oniyaaie sei wuKe uu uuis anu sav since the irs. Derimeter smo Ma it was imnnssi- for the completion of 1-285 was are putting tne nnisning toucnes cnntTstct for 24 miles he- 7.

ii i a nann pii ira 11 1 1 1 naio nan ble, because we would have had 1972, when the federal govern' on the roads, such as guard ment was scheduled to stop financing 90 per cent of the cost of the nation's interstate system," says Robert Led-ford, chief of public information of the State Highway department. "Since we began work on our interstate system, however, the government has extended its fi- tween the Chamblee Tucker Road and the General Motors Plant at Doraville was let in June, 1958. PAVED SHOULDERS That first section had no paved shoulders on either the inside or the outside lanes; presently opening sections now have four feet of paving on the inside, and eight feet on the outside. New segments also have the newest safety features in guard to rewrite whole contracts at a much greater cost, and undo what we'd already done." NOT OUTDATED NOW Highway department officials say that though the perimeter route, which was designed for 1984 traffic, is not outdated at the present time, it may be by the time it is completed, or within the next several years. rails and sign posts.

RISK A FINE "You just can't keep people off these roads until they're complete," says one highway official. "They're so anxious to save time, they'll risk getting fined a large amount of money just to go a short distance. Sometimes I think they'd drive right through our work crews if they could." Total cost of the perimeter pro OPENING OF SECTIONS ONE AND TWO (ABOVE) WILL BRING 1-285 13 MILES AWAY FROM FINISH railings, with rails blocked out "No one was able to visualize ject is $96,904,100, with the aver- aee cost oer mile $1,564,000. In- away lrom supporting posts so lust how greatly automobile flation and better safety tech- that vehicles' wheels will not traffic would increase," says niques have upped the average catch against posts and cause George Erickson of the Highway cost per mile by over $500,000 the vehicle to flip over. Rather planning Division.

"It's just in- since work first began, however, than leaving the end of the rail credible how many cars are on says Ledford. He cited a 4 per up, where it could ram a Vehicle the road in and around Atlanta report cent yearly increase in cost of upon impact, guard ran endings today. We've just got to take ad- construction. are now being bent over into the vantage of our past mistakes as Monday, August 12, 1968 Page 6 ground. "We've tried to include the newest safety features wherever Several new safety features and improved construction techniques have been added to con- we advance.

TRACKING STATION According to Erickson, who was basing his figures on traffic -New Perimeter Sections to Aid City's Economy By BOB ROHRER Metropolitan Atlanta's economic heartbeat will gain strength with the opening of new perimeter sections, according to two specialists on the city's economy. "A whale of a lot of territory" Georgia can be expected along will be opened up for economic the perimeter road, he sug-development by 1-285, said Paul gested. Miller, economic development An increase in tourist trade director of the Atlanta Chamber should result after the complete of Commerce. opening of 1-285, said Gil Camp- "It will open up a relatively bell executive vice president undeveloped area," said Miller, of the DeKalb Chamber or and commercial real merce. estate dealers watch these "I know the perimeter route things pretty closely, and I sus- will mean we can increase tour- ist accommodations," Campbell pect that land acquisition has patterns recorded at the Highway department's one tracking station on the perimeter just west of U.S.

19, there was 10 times more in-state traffic on the northern segment of the perimeter in 1967 than out-of-state traffic. PROPORTION TO RISE Erickson expects the proportion of out-of-state traffic to rise, in future years, however, as the eastern and western segments of the perimeter are completed, and motorists will use the road to travel to Florida, Alabama and other areas. To accommodate the increased traffic in these areas, the Highway department has been making new segments six lanes wide, rather than four lanes as was originally planned, with the exception of the segment between 1-20 and U.S. 23, which is four lanes. The department also plans to ask the Bureau of Public Roads for approval to increase the existing section between U.S.

78 and Gordon Road from four to six lanes, due to increased traffic in that area. If the Bureau of Roads approves the proposal, the whole interstate from U.S. 41 to Red Oak will be six lanes. gone on for years." A BARGAIN Miller added that he expected land prices "would be relatively a bargain as compared to some other land." "I can't come to a name and cay these people are locating here, and here, and here," he said, "but I'm confident that said. "And I think it will improve DeKalb's position by making it a major convention center." A DeKalb civic center may well follow on the heels of 1-285, when easy access to the area enhances the county's potential as a convention site, he said.

The perimeter road will provide "a major route for tourists going to Stone Mountain," said you re going to find a pretty steady stream of location (along Campbell, predicting that hotels, 1 4 4 Paving 1-285 North of East Ponce de Leon, To Be Completed by September, 1969, Is Ready for motels, and restaurants will spring up along the highway and provide added enticements to conventioneers. "Give me a real good tourist facility and I'll take that over any industry," he said, styling Stone Mountain as DeKalb's "biggest industry." A trend toward construction of office buildings in groups, such as the Executive Park regional office center off 1-85, will probably continue as a result of the new route, Campbell commented. "We're looking to the day when we have the entire 1-285 route open for traffic, plus the Stone Mountain Freeway," said Campbell. "When that day comes, look out we're in the perimeter route) in the coming year." Miller specifically mentioned the Constitution Industrial Park Dear Constitution Road as an example of an area in which economic development may be expected in the future. Little progress has taken place in the park, located "at the crossroads of the perimeter road and the North-South Expressway," because until now there was "no real arterial road," he said.

"Constitution has been available and ready to go for 15 years," said Miller. "Now that we have a leg of the perimeter highway serving it, it should be a natural to develop." The opening of the east and west branches of Interstate 1-20 brought about "one of the most dramatic visual evidences" of economic expansion in metropolitan Atlanta, according to Miller. Development similar to that which took place in Fulton and Great Southwest Industrial Districts after the opening of 1-20 West for example, the construction of Six Flags Over cross 13.2 miles from the Cobb County side of the Chattahoochee River to Chamblee-Tucker Road in DeKalb County in about 11.3 minutes for several years. South of downtown Atlanta, a motorist has been reaching old U.S. 41 in Clayton County from the Red Oak Community (some 9.5 miles) in little more than eight minutes.

Now that the perimeter is about to open completely Atlantans can count on making the following distances in snorter times: Sandy Springs to Forest Park, 30 miles in 26 minutes. Forest Park to Avondale Estates, 15 miles in 13 minutes. Doraville to East Expressway, 15 miles in 13 minutes. I f- Lr V- I MOVING FASTER Atlantans will be moving faster from place to place over the new perimeter route. A motorist will be able to circle the city completely in 54 minutes if he drives at the legal limit of 70 miles per hour a distance of about 63 miles.

A motorist has been able to Spider Web Weaves it The map of Atlanta's freeway and East Ponce de Leon Avenue are complete, the anchoring system looks a little like a web on Aug. 24 and the section run- circle of the web will be finished. nine south from 1-20 to U.S. 23 woven by a spider on LSD, but There are many other sections of freeways planned, including a parallel north-south route, the much-discussed Stone Mountain Freeway (some of it under construction and some not yet even let to contract). And then of course, there is the controversial 1-485, slated to go through Morningside but no one can say when for sure.

early in September. The section running between 1-75 to the northwest of the city and 1-20 to the west is scheduled for completion in October, 1969, and the section running north from East Ponce de Leon Avenue to 1-85 is scheduled for completion in September 1969. When these two last sections it was intricately designed by engineers and planners and is designed to carry the maximum amount of traffic when completed. Dates for completion are nebulous at best but the two sections featured on this page will be opened before a month is out: the section between 1-20 tiff Photo- MeTyr Risks Fine Workman Puts Touches on 1-283 South of 1-20 As Lone Motorist Finisliing.