Few local commuters will be surprised to learn that I-85 between Fayette County and I-285 is one of the least congested areas in metro Atlanta, according to a recent study.

Of 39 Interstate segments evaluated by the Atlanta Regional Commission, the leg of I-85 between Ga. Highway 74 and I-285 barely cracked the top 20 list of most congested arteries.

The other segment of I-85 — between I-285 and the downtown connector — was another ranked as being even less congested.

The ARC study ranked congestion by considering a variety of factors, including the intensity of the congestion, how long the congested conditions last on the road and how many people in the region are impacted by the congestion.

Earlier this year, officials reworked how roads are prioritized for funding, and road congestion was one of the factors given a heavier weight in the process. Although the next five years will see a total of $29.27 million in funding for the two I-85 south segments, it will pick up between the years 2012 and 2030 with $110 million earmarked for the Hwy. 74 to I-285 segment and another $145 million for the stretch between I-285 and the connector.

ARC is also focusing on making smaller changes within activity centers in the metro area where large concentrations of jobs are located within a given area. The nearest to Fayette is Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, which has 65,642 jobs, but that pales in comparison to the downtown-midtown Atlanta area which has an employment roll pushing 200,000 people.

The next largest activity center is in the “perimeter center” area just north of I-285 north near I-85, with more than 111,000 people employed there. The Cumberland-Galleria area and the Buckhead area also have more than 67,000 and 58,000 workers there respectively.

Within the activity centers, the most dense areas could be helped by improvements to traffic operations, transit services, sidewalks, bike lanes and development patters, according to the ARC report on congestion.

For next year’s congestion evaluation, ARC will focus on determining the impact of crashes, bad weather and other incidents have on each interstate segment. Officials are also working to monitor how certain intersections can create significant congestion on a small segment of the road.

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