Spaghetti Junction was built to fix Atlanta traffic. So, why is it still a nightmare?
Atlanta traffic has a villain — and it’s shaped like pasta. Spaghetti Junction, officially the Tom Moreland Interchange, is one of the most infamous traffic bottlenecks in the South, where I‑85 and I‑285 collide. It’s even name‑dropped in Outkast’s “Stankonia.” The five‑level interchange replaced a clogged cloverleaf in the early 1980s, after earning the nickname Malfunction Junction. The redesign from the Georgia Department of Transportation eased congestion for a time, but rapid population growth turned it back into a daily commuting logjam. The AJC’s Jordan Pettiford breaks down how a traffic solution became a lasting problem. Credits: AJC | Getty | @throwedoffjaun, @kjackzsupreme/IG | @dajwajj/TT | Outkast | Sony Pictures | Bita Honavar, Floyd Jillson / AJC
