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GDOT anticipating heavier traffic congestion this weekend, next
Holiday traffic
AAA is predicting more vehicles on Georgia roads this week for Thanksgiving compared to 2020 and 2021. - photo by Metro Creative Services
Staff Report
Published: Mar 31, 2023, 12:42 PM

ATLANTA — Georgia Department of Transportation officials say they anticipate an increase in traffic congestion in and around metro Atlanta during the K-12 schools’ Spring Break period from today, March 31, through Sunday, April 9. 

On Metro Atlanta Interstates, GDOT predicted higher volumes of traffic on Friday, March 31, and over the weekend of April 7-9, a news release stated. Typical volumes of traffic were expected Monday, April 3, through Thursday, April 6.

On major interstates outside of the metro Atlanta area, data has shown the following traffic trends during the Spring Break travel period: 

• I-20 eastbound congestion entering metro Atlanta; westbound congestion exiting the city towards Alabama. 

• I-75 is predicted to have heavy congestion southbound and northbound coming out of Atlanta in Stockbridge. 

• I-24 eastbound congestion in Northwest Georgia (near Chattanooga).

• I-16 westbound congestion exiting Savannah and I-16 eastbound congestion entering Savannah.

A news release stated Metro Atlanta motorists should plan for increased travel times around tourist attractions and popular areas for Spring Break activities which include Centennial Olympic Park, Georgia Aquarium, Six Flags, Zoo Atlanta and the Atlanta Botanical Gardens. For up-to-date information about travel conditions on Georgia’s interstates and state routes, call 511 or visit www.511ga.org.
Two Covington residents killed in unrelated vehicle accidents
crashes map march 25, 2025
Two unrelated vehicle crashes resulting in fatalities took place on the morning of March 25, 2025 in Newton and Walton counties. The pins indicate the approximate locations of the incidents.
Kate Verity
Published: Mar 28, 2025, 6:32 PM

NEWTON COUNTY — Two Covington residents died in separate, unrelated vehicle accidents on Tuesday.

Brian Hix, 46, died in a crash in Walton County near Social Circle. According to a spokesperson from the Georgia State Patrol (GSP), Hix was driving a white Dodge Ram truck north along Social Circle Parkway near Laurel Street. At approximately 6:40 a.m., Hix’s vehicle crossed the centerline and hit a tractor-trailer head-on. 

Hix succumbed to his injuries at the scene, and the driver of the tractor-trailer, who remains unnamed, was not reported to have any injuries.

Social Circle Parkway from Cannon Drive to South Cherokee Road was closed for much of Tuesday morning due to the crash. 

Later that morning, 28-year-old Chason Weldon was involved in a crash on Access Road in Newton County. 

According to the GSP, a wide-load tractor-trailer with an excavator turned onto Access Road from a private drive just past Old Oxford Road and headed west.

Weldon was driving a white GMC east on Access Road at the time. According to the GSP spokesperson, the front left side of Weldon’s vehicle struck the truck, specifically hitting the tracks of the excavator.

Weldon was also declared deceased at the scene of the crash.