The $47M Buena Vista Interchange project in Columbus, Ga., is nearing completion, with a new diverging diamond interchange being constructed. Delays due to pandemic-related challenges and utility relocations. Expected to open for traffic in 2026, named after pioneering legislator Maretta Mitchell Taylor.
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An aerial view of the city of Columbus, Ga.
In Columbus, Ga., a major highway interchange project is finally getting closer to being finished.
State leaders and transportation officials gathered May 1, 2025, to discuss updates on the Buena Vista Interchange project. The $47 million effort aims to reconstruct the interchange at Buena Vista Road and Interstate 185 on the city's western side.
Despite past delays, construction at the site is currently almost 80 percent complete, according to WRBL-TV in Columbus.
Marietta, Ga.-based C.W. Matthews Contracting Co. is replacing an existing bridge at the junction of the two roadways with a wider and modified structure to accommodate a diverging diamond interchange, a sidewalk on the south side of Buena Vista Road, and a multi-use trail on the north side.
Georgia State Rep. Carolyn Hugley and her colleague, Rep. Teddy Reese joined Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) officials to walk the site and share project details.
The major roadway project's concept report was approved in late 2016, and the contractor was selected in 2020 before the onset of the pandemic caused multiple delays in getting the work started.
GDOT's update on the Buena Vista Interchange said that among the construction challenges, "Contractor and utility owners faced delays in sourcing materials following pandemic supply shortages," in addition to "smaller work crews or delayed activities due to [the reduced] labor market" and the busy interchange being open to traffic for the entirety of the work.
"Challenges and risks are inherent when keeping a project site open while undertaking a large-scale construction project," the agency said.
"We definitely experienced supply chain issues on multiple facets of the project from just construction materials for the actual roadway and utility supplies," said Kenneth Franks, GDOT's administrator of the State Transportation Investment Act (TIA).
Despite the myriad of slowdowns and utility relocations, the transportation department told WRBL-TV that the project has gotten back on schedule.
GDOT officials now estimate that substantial completion on the interchange will occur this fall and be open to traffic in 2026.
New Interchange Bridge to Honor Pioneering Legislator
During the briefing, both Hugley and Reese thanked the Columbus community for its patience in waiting on the Buena Vista Interchange project to be finished and stressed that the corridor's transformation will be worth the wait. They also believe the work will be a transportation upgrade as well as an economic draw for the area.
"A few years back, the citizens of this area were wise enough to pass a TSPLOST, and what that did was [contribute] funds so that we could build the bridges and the roads and do the special projects that we needed to accommodate the growth that we have here in Columbus," said Reese.
"One thing I think everyone is going to appreciate is this beautiful new bridge when it's done, how well it's going to look in this area [and] how it's going to help bring up this area," he said. "When you think about economic development, you have to think about the ability to move people, the ability of folks to get around and just the aesthetics of the community."
In her comments, Hugley said that as a result of all the construction happening at the Buena Vista Road/I-195 site, as well as in her Columbus district, "citizens in my community are being inconvenienced. I get that. It's important to really thank our citizens for, number one, having the vision to vote for the TSPLOST and invest in our community. And two, to encourage them to be patient as we move through this process. We are in what we want to call the messy middle, and the end result is going to be a beautiful interchange here."
When the construction does wrap up next year, local leaders said that the new bridge will be known as the Maretta Mitchell Taylor Interchange.
"We're so excited that we are standing on what will be the Maretta Mitchell Taylor interchange to honor the first [female] African-American representative from this area [of Georgia]," Hugley said. "This was part of her district while she was in the legislature. I'm encouraged that this is going to be a wonderful tribute to her, and it's going to make traveling in this area a lot more convenient for our citizens."
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