To further advance Atlanta's Transform 285/400 interchange reconstruction project to final completion, the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) closed one I-285 eastbound lane in early October between Roswell Road and Ashford Dunwoody Road to allow contractors to perform bridge demolition and reconstruction at Glenridge Drive, Ga. Highway 400, and Peachtree Dunwoody Road.
The agency also plans to shut down one westbound lane of the highway on Oct. 22.
GDOT officials said the I-285 construction milestones will add more space for cars and increase new connecting lane availability outside of the existing interstate lanes, according to the Albany Herald.
The bridge replacements and associated I-285 lane closures eastbound and westbound will take at least eight months to complete, GDOT noted, and have already caused the extreme delays on I-285 that the agency predicted would occur around and approaching the work zone.
"The traveling public should expect major disruptions to their daily commutes and driving routines during this time and should be prepared for profound delays on I-285, potentially adding an hour or more to daily commutes," GDOT Alternative Delivery Program Manager Marlo Clowers said in a news release prior to the work getting under way.
"We urge motorists to leave earlier, utilize navigation apps to select alternate routes to stay away from the construction area and consider alternative commute options. [When] traveling through the area, always pay attention and use extreme caution."
The transportation department said lane closure schedule confirmations will come after certain I-285 construction milestones open to traffic, ensuring motorists know what to expect and when. The openings will provide added capacity for vehicles and maximize all new connecting roadway availability outside of the existing interstate lanes.
Those key milestones include:
- A new I-285 westbound connecting lane from Peachtree Dunwoody Road to past Roswell Road.
- New Ga. 400 northbound/southbound lanes and Ga. 400 southbound to I-285 eastbound connecting lane to a point past Ashford Dunwoody Road.
The lane closures wlll be made once these milestones are opened and updated signage is in place, GDOT noted.
The first phase of the current project has seen crews close the inside lanes on I-285 in each direction between Roswell Road to Ashford Dunwoody Road, so they can reconstruct the interior portions of the interstate's bridges over Glenridge Drive, Ga. 400 and Peachtree Dunwoody Road. A minimum of three lanes will be open in each direction. This part of the project will take approximately four months to finish.
In Phase 2, traffic will shift to the inside lanes, providing width for three travel lanes, and the existing outside lanes will close to cars and trucks so crews can demolish and reconstruct the exterior portions of the bridges. GDOT predicts this phase will likely be complete by February.
GDOT Awards, Then Defers, $93M for Two Projects Until Later
GDOT also announced in early October that it awarded seven projects valued at more than $104.7 million in August.
However, the awards list that the agency provided media outlets shows that the state only distributed about $12.1 million in projects. A GDOT spokesperson said officials deferred a pair of widening and reconstruction projects worth roughly $93 million and expects to award them later.
State officials said three bridge rehabilitation contracts totaling more than $6.2 million make up 51 percent of the awarded funds. The largest allocation, approximately $4.1 million, went to Marietta's Comanche Construction of Georgia to correct settlement issues and other work on six bridges in Carroll, Cherokee, Floyd and Whitfield counties.
The second largest contract, an approximately $2.9 million bridge construction project awarded to Williams Construction Co., in Duluth, includes 0.3 mi. of bridge construction and approaches on U.S. Highway 27 Alternate over Coleman Creek in Meriwether County. The project is 23 percent of the GDOT money awarded.
In total, construction projects account for 13.4 percent of the awarded dollars, or more than $1.6 million. Another $1 million, or 8.3 percent, of the funding was for a widening and reconstruction project, according to GDOT.
The remaining three percent went to safety projects, including signing and pavement marking upgrades at railroad crossings in Atkinson, Brooks, Cook, Lanier and Lowndes counties.
One project to receive the GDOT monies is on U.S. Highway 441/Ga. 89/Ga. 31 in Atkinson County, while the other is on Atlanta Highway in Forsyth County.
The state agency noted that so far, in fiscal 2022, which began July 1, the state has awarded $146 million.
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