page_title: Tom Moreland Interchange
hierarchical_section_title: Tom Moreland Interchange
caption_attribution_description: English: Driver's view of the I-85 and I-285 interchange north of Atlanta Georgia which is called Spaghetti Junction. This traffic interchange, located north of Atlanta is where the two major roadways I-85 and I-285 cross along with several access roads. This is the view a driver would have when south bound on I-85 approaching Atlanta from the north east. The driver is in the right hand lane going onto the exit ramp which will carry the vehicle from south bound I-85 to south bound I-285 going around Atlanta in a clockwise direction in order to connect to I-675 which then connects to I-75 south bound. To the right in the picture you can see part of the ramp that leads from south bound I-85 to north bound I-285 which goes around Atlanta counter-clockwise. The vehicle from which this photo was taken has already passed the side exit leading to the north bound I-285. The two major roadways at this interchage are I-85 which goes through Atlanta in a north east to south west direction (South Carolina to the east and Alabama to the west) and I-285 which is a circular ring or bypass roadway built to reduce the amount of traffic going through downtown Atlanta. In addition to the two major roadways, I-85 and I-285, there are several access roads which come together in this same general location which had on-ramps and off-ramps onto and off of I-85. The traffic for these access roads were also accommodated as part of the interchange design. Notice the dividing wall made up of concrete walls that were set in place between the south bound traffic and the north bound traffic. Floodlights are mounted on the poles that have been erected on the concrete walls. Some of the poles also mount television cameras which are used to monitor traffic at a central station. From this station, observers can specify messages which are displayed on message boards to inform drivers of problems such as accidents or road construction that may lie ahead. In the late 1970s, this section of I-85 had two lanes in each direction as did I-285. I-285 crossed over I-85 using standard interstate bridges. There was a grass median between the south bound and north bound lanes of I-85. Due to population growth and development north of Atlanta in Gwinnett County additional lanes were added to both I-85 and I-285 followed by the construction of Spaghetti Junction in order to improve the flow of traffic between I-85 and I-285.
context_page_description: Tom Moreland Interchange, colloquially known as Spaghetti Junction, is the intersection of Interstate 85 and Interstate 285, along with several access roads, in northern DeKalb County, Georgia, northeast of Atlanta and just to the south of Norcross in Gwinnett County. It is named for Tom Moreland, a former commissioner of the Georgia Department of Transportation from 1975 to 1987.
  I-85 is a major traffic corridor from the northeastern suburbs of Atlanta in the Gwinnett County area into downtown Atlanta. I-285 is a beltway around Atlanta. In the northern I-285 corridor, in the area from I-85 counterclockwise to I-75, there has been a large amount of development of office space. Spaghetti Junction was designed to remove choke points and reduce congestion in the I-85 and I-285 interchange, which had been a cloverleaf.
context_section_description: Tom Moreland Interchange, colloquially known as Spaghetti Junction, is the intersection of Interstate 85 and Interstate 285, along with several access roads, in northern DeKalb County, Georgia, northeast of Atlanta and just to the south of Norcross in Gwinnett County . It is named for Tom Moreland, a former commissioner of the Georgia Department of Transportation from 1975 to 1987.
  I-85 is a major traffic corridor from the northeastern suburbs of Atlanta in the Gwinnett County area into downtown Atlanta.  I-285 is a beltway around Atlanta. In the northern I-285 corridor, in the area from I-85 counterclockwise to I-75, there has been a large amount of development of office space. Spaghetti Junction was designed to remove choke points and reduce congestion in the I-85 and I-285 interchange, which had been a cloverleaf.
caption: Tom Moreland Interchange from I-85 traveling southbound
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