The line of cars snakes slowly through the intersection, the roads congested in both directions. You creep forward, hoping to make the light before it changes, knowing that if you don't, it will be several more minutes before you can take your foot off the brake.

The only view before you is the back of another car as your engine idles, gas fumes hover in a cloud, the clock ticks and your frustration rises.

Traffic is a problem nearly all of us in Northeast Georgia deal with, some of us twice a day or more. As the population of Gainesville and Hall County continues to grow and more commuters are added to the daily crawl, our roads become even more clogged.

Beginning Sunday, The Times takes a two-day look at our daily traffic gridlock, including how the area's growth has jammed our roads; the busiest and most dangerous intersections in Hall County; how traffic lights are timed to ease traffic flow; and a look at commuting patterns, past and present.

Monday, we'll explore solutions, including how road improvements are funded and which ones are likely to come to fruition, plus how governments secure the land for expanded highways.