Work starts at I-285/400 as lane closures take hold

Through Friday, rolling lane closures are expected from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. nightly on I-285 eastbound and westbound between I-85 and Powers Ferry Road; and on Ga. 400 northbound and southbound between the Loridans Drive and Riverside Road.

Also, from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. nightly through Sunday, one left lane on westbound I-285 will be closed between Chamblee-Dunwoody Road and Riverside Drive.

The work is an early step toward “improving traffic flow and safety in this very busy interchange,” said Albert Welch, GDOT program delivery engineer for major projects.

Crews will remove trees and other vegetation from the right-of-way and within the interchange for the new collector-distributor lanes. The lanes, also known as local-express lanes, are being built on the sides of 285 and 400.

Site preparation and clearing will begin on 400 on the southbound side from the Mount Vernon Road bridge north to Abernathy Road, GDOT said. Once completed, the contractor, North Perimeter Contractors, will work from Abernathy Road on the northbound side of 400 moving south to the Mount Vernon Road bridge.

The full project is expected to span four years and cost $800 million.