Here’s how Masters traffic will affect your drive in Augusta

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Augusta city leaders on Wednesday morning outlined their traffic plan for this year’s Masters Tournament.

For an idea of the magnitude of extra traffic to expect, consider this: On a regular day, 50,000 cars drive on Washington Road, but during Masters week from April 8-14, you can expect about 30,000 more.

Traffic engineers say the most important thing you can do is trust the traffic signs they have placed out.

From a room that looks like Mission Control at NASA, they’ll be watching feeds from dozens of traffic cameras across Augusta.

Here’s a look at the traffic plan that was presented during a news conference Tuesday:

New traffic patterns coming up and down Berckmans Road are sure to be a new test, but the city, combined with Augusta National, aims to push down uncertainty on where to go with a new app.

Accessed through a QR code, it will provide live updates on which parking areas are full and where patrons need to go.

“Hopefully it helps with some of the confusion we’ve had in the past, especially when we close Alexander in the morning or Berckmans in the afternoon. People get a little confused on, ‘Where do I go? How do I get around it? So this should really help with that,” said John Ussery with Augusta Traffic Engineering.

A new traffic signal will be coming to Washington Road and River Ridge Drive on Monday. Left turns will practically become nonexistent at Washington Road and Alexander Drive, and new routes on Berckmans Road will start on April 6.

A soft re-route will snake through Surrey Center in the evening, but down the road will be a hard stop.

For anyone moving towards Augusta National when play is over, people will be re-routed through Wellington Drive and out Downing Street across from Westover Cemetery.

Commissioner Sean Frantom said: “There will be letters sent to those individuals who live between Wellington Drive and the traffic circle. I mean it’s not many but obviously want to educate them on what’s going on because it’s obviously going to be a hindrance. It seems like we’re all on the same sheet of music, it seems like it should go well.”

Ussery says the engineers want to get people places as fast as they can and as safely as possible.

Following the traffic signs and cones is key.

Follow what the officers in the street tell you to do, and follow what the message signs say, he says.

The biggest tip of all is to simply be patient.

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