Atlanta Can Finally Breathe A Little Easier...

...literally. From AJC:

For the first time since 1978, Atlanta's air meets federal standards which specify how polluted the air can be during any one-hour period, state and federal officials announced Thursday.

While hailing the development as a milestone, they acknowledged that there is a new, tougher standard which measures the level of pollution over eight hours. The region does not yet meet that.
...
The region at one point was so far out of line with federal standards that it was unable to spend federal road construction money in Atlanta.

That is certainly great (especially since I've been running a lot recently), but I wonder how long it will last? According to the Georgia Department of Transportation, a series of road improvements in Atlanta will make transportation miserable for a lot of people this summer.

The orange cones have emerged along metro Atlanta's busiest roads, signaling what may be one of the most painful summers in history for vacationers heading out of town and weekend commuters just trying to get around.

"It's going to rank up there high as one of the worst," says Mark McKinnon, a spokesman for the state Department of Transportation. "We have so many projects on the major roadways in and around the city."

In other words, get that auto air conditioner serviced, buy a stack of books on tape and prepare for freeway misery.

Beginning this Friday, drivers across metro Atlanta will see 30 to 40 lane closings that will lead to delays every weekend from 9 p.m. on Fridays to 5 a.m. on Mondays.
...
"I'm just going to be real upfront with you — that is going to be a bear," he says. "There's going to be some miserable traffic in that area. We are really encouraging people if they have to be in that area to look for another way around it."

At least they're honest. More cars stalled on the highway only means greater aggregate emissions from their vehicles. So we shouldn't pop the cork off the wine just yet.