Moores Mill Bridge closure snarls traffic on nearby streets

Traffic is part of everyday life for drivers in Atlanta, but for those who live near the Morris Mill Bridge, they say traffic has become unbearable since the bridge construction started in mid-October. Well, some drivers are hoping for some type of solution. They say they want anything. Here's Fox 5's Sarah Jabbour. The Morris Mill Bridge shutdown has caused a headache for some drivers in the area. One neighbor I spoke to told me that traffic has gotten so bad, especially on some of these smaller side roads like the one behind me. The Moores Mill Bridge has been under construction since mid-October after a part of the structure collapsed. The result of the closure has been a nightmare for Chris Watkins, who lives nearby in Cross Creek. We understand it's necessary, but since then, what has happened to these streets is just unbelievable with the amount of traffic that it's having to absorb. Walken says during the normal rush hours in the morning and evening, traffic has gotten significantly worse. He says sometimes his family misses out on events or activities because they can't get there on time. Where we went from was having our you know our child being on time to school to a point where now we're missing after-school activities because buses can't get to and from school on time. We're in the morning if we're either having to take him to school in the morning to get him there on time. He says a quick two-minute drive sometimes turns into 20 minutes. A rush hour is insane. Like we have a jiu-jitsu class for example that is less than a mile from where we're standing. And it can take us up to like 15 to 20 minutes, just not because of anything other than the stop signs and the things that are here and just the absolute number of folks. Watkins says he knows the shutdown is necessary, but he hopes Atlanta DOT can find some way to relieve the traffic as the construction continues on the bridge. He says a lot of the back roads near Cross Creek have been neglected with lots of potholes and plates. It seems like there's not a lot of attention that goes into the overall condition and safety of the roadways. In an emergency, Watkins says he worries that first responders won't be able to get where they need to go during rush hour. We don't know what to do, and God forbid something should happen where we needed to have rapid passage of emergency vehicles or something else, we would find ourselves in a real situation. And I reached out to the Atlanta Department of Transportation about the concerns and I'm still waiting to hear back. Reporting in Atlanta, Tara Jabbour, Fox 5 News. All right, Tara, thanks so much.