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Posted: 4:11 a.m. Friday, Dec. 21, 2012

Bad traffic could mean a better economy

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100312 HOT 01 photo
Jason Getz
October 2, 2012 - Atlanta, Ga. At 7:00 AM, rush hour traffic approaches the HOT lanes entrance near the Old Peachtree Road exit with a sign posting the current charges for use of the HOT lanes on I-85 south Tuesday morning in Duluth, Ga., October 2, 2012. This is the one-year anniversary of the HOT lanes on I-85. In its first 11 months, the I-85 HOT lanes took in $3.1 million. That's less than the $3.3 million to $6.7 million state predicted it would. On Tuesday morning, the toll rate matched its Sept. 11, 2012 all-time high, charging $5.95 for a ride on the whole 16-mile lane. JASON GETZ / JGETZ@AJC.COM

By Jay Black and Sabrina Gibbons

If you’ve noticed heavier traffic on your way into work lately, don’t worry it’s a good thing.

It could be a sign that the economy is improving.

Traffic gridlock and a good economy go hand-in-hand. So it might be good news that the average commute in Atlanta took 12 percent longer than it should have, according to a gridlock index created by a company INRIX.

“I think what we are seeing with this holiday season and the traffic out there is definitely a positive sign for Georgia and Atlanta,” the DOT’s Jill Goldberg told News/Talk WSB.

Goldberg says more people going back to work and lower gas prices are signs of bad traffic, but a good economy.

Atlanta keeps attracting new people, making it a challenge for metro interstates to keep up with demands.

“We are trying a number of innovative things in the metro area this past year and we plan to continue them in 2013,” said Goldberg.

Among them are the new HOT lanes on I-85 and improvements to GA-400.