The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) is clearing a path for travelers this holiday season by lifting lane closures over the extended Christmas and New Year’s travel period.

GDOT announced today that all scheduled and ongoing construction-related lane closures in Northwest Georgia would be suspended for the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.

“We know that a lot of people will be hitting the road for the year-end holiday season and we want to make it a little easier for them to go through Northwest Georgia and arrive safely at their destinations,” Georgia DOT Commissioner Keith Golden said.

The suspension will begin at 5 p.m. on Friday, December 21, 2012 and continue until midnight Tuesday, January 1, 2013.

“Georgia DOT is suspending all scheduled lane closures on our interstates and other major state routes. I urge all motorists to do their part to keep one another safe by obeying all traffic laws and being courteous to their fellow travelers. Please drive safely and enjoy the holidays,” Golden said.

“Emergency maintenance work in the case of traffic accidents, and other unpredictable types of transportation incidents could still cause lane closures and/or delays. However, all construction-related lane closures will be suspended in Northwest Georgia,” said DeWayne Comer, district engineer at the Georgia DOT office in Cartersville.

Motorists can access real-time, statewide, route-specific information on accidents, roadwork, traffic and weather conditions through Georgia 511, a free phone service. By dialing 511 callers also can transfer to operators to 24 hours a day to report incidents or request assistance.

The system can be used to access transit providers, major airports, rideshare organizations, tourism information and 511 systems in surrounding states. Additionally, 511 is available online. Georgia DOT partners with sponsors for assistance in funding 511, thereby preserving tax dollars and helping sustain critical services.

For more information about 511, visit 511ga.org. For more information on Georgia DOT, please visit www.dot.ga.gov or subscribe to our Press Release RSS feed. You also may follow us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/GeorgiaDOT) and Twitter (http://twitter.com/gadeptoftrans).