Busy bridge on North Druid Hills Road closing tonight for 3 months

Beginning Friday night, the North Druid Hills Road bridge over North Fork Peachtree Creek will be closed for 90 days.

While the Georgia Department of Transportation works on replacing the bridge between I-85 and Buford Highway, drivers will face a five-mile detour starting at 9 p.m.

State DOT officials said this full road closure between Buford Highway and West Druid Hills Drive in DeKalb County will expedite the demolition and reconstruction of the current bridge that was built in 1962.

“Ninety days of a full closure, that allows us to do it quickly,” GDOT spokeswoman Natalie Dale told Channel 2 Action News. “That allows us to get it complete, get out of the road so that traffic can get moving in that area again.”

During the three-month closure, drivers will still have open access from the I-85 interchange (Exit 89) and properties adjacent to the bridge work zone. The bridge replacement is part of the larger interchange improvement project underway for I-85 at Ga. 42/North Druid Hills Road, the DOT said.

The DOT suggests using Clairmont Road and Buford Highway as alternate routes.