SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — The new interchange on Abernathy Road, meeting the entrances and exits for GA-400, opened Monday morning.
The interchange design is known as a "diverging diamond," which according to the Georgia Department of Transportation function to eliminate unprotected left turns onto the entrance ramps.
GDOT describes the layout as one "that crosses traffic to the opposite side of the road across an interchange so vehicles have unimpeded movement onto the freeway ramps."
The city of Sandy Springs Twitter account posted a diagram of how the new interchange will function.
Cars traveling east on Abernathy Road will be able to use the crossover lane to either continue straight or go left onto GA-400 North, while cars traveling west will be able to cross over and continue on or enter GA-400 South.
Cars exiting off GA-400 South can go right to travel west or go left to take the crossover lane eastbound. Cars exiting off GA-400 North can go right onto the eastbound Abernathy Road lanes or go left into the crossover lanes to travel west.
If you need to turn around along GA-400 for any reason, the design also allows for a seamless exit and re-entrance from GA-400 North to South, and vice versa.
While drivers are getting used to the new layout, the city asks people to slow down and use caution going through the interchange.