Rejoice! Downtown Connector is repaved

At last, the Downtown Connector is wide open in all its repaved glory.

No more two-hour backups on a Saturday afternoon. No more lane closures blocking off a dozen freeway ramps. No more waiting behind a sea of cars as I-75/I-85 bottlenecks down to a fraction of its size.

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Renee' Hannans Henry/AJC

The repaving project on the Downtown Connector began in May and was conducted over several weekends.

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At least, not because of this project.

With the new lines that adorn the road, the $27.7 million repaving project is finished with anything that would cause lane closures, according to the state Department of Transportation.

Other projects may sometimes prompt Connector lane closures, like some of the work scheduled for the 14th Street Bridge project next year. But the repaving that has bedeviled drivers from University Avenue to 10th Street on weekend after sweltering weekend this summer, is a wrap.

Only minor checklist tasks remain, like reseeding grass where equipment tore up the roadside.

DOT spokeswoman Crystal Paulk-Buchanan said that crews worked marathon weekends all summer long to get it done ahead of schedule. That included Labor Day weekend, as many drivers learned to their dismay.

“I’m sure this early completion is welcome news to the businesses and motorists who travel through this section of roadway every day,” DOT Commissioner Gena Evans said in a statement.

“This was six whole weekends above our best estimate,” Tim Knight, an engineer with the contractor, E.R. Snell, said in an e-mail this month after the bulk of the work was done. “We endured two complete rainout weekends before we ever [were] able to begin. The project was not only completed in record time and safely, but improved the smoothness of the roadway by 30 percent over when we started.”

The resulting road should be much improved. Before the project, core samples from the Connector showed crumbling pavement beneath the surface. Asphalt has a life span of about 10 to 12 years. The Downtown Connector was last repaved just before the 1996 Olympic Games.

Now the clock begins again. But for the moment, enjoy the smooth, pristine blacktop and its gleaming white ribbons.

ROAD WORK

Asphalt laid: 175,000 tons

Project cost: $27.7 million

Length: 4.79 miles

Workers each weekend: More than 350

Average daily traffic: 380,000