CARTERSVILLE, Ga. – 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. The suspension will begin at 5 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 21, 2012 and continue until midnight Tuesday, Jan. 1, 2013.

“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,” said Georgia DOT Commissioner Keith Golden. “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.”

“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.