Brace yourselves, northern Perimeter drivers: Traffic is about to back up even further.
Mayors from four cities said during a lunch panel discussion Friday they expect the reconstruction project at I-285 and Ga. 400, which started last month, to result in delays and backups until work is completed in 2020.
The interchange is gaining flyover ramps, new lanes on both highways and traffic-smoothing improvements around nearby exits.
When the project is completed, the new interchange will be almost as large as the Spaghetti Junction intersection at I-285 and I-85 northeast of Atlanta.
But until the $800 million project is finished, orange cones will go up, lanes will close and drivers will move at a snail's pace during rush hour.
“So far, so good, but we all know it’s going to get worse,” said Sandy Springs Mayor Rusty Paul at the Perimeter Business Alliance luncheon at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta Perimeter Summit hotel. “We’ve got to rethink how we move people, and maybe the pain of 400 and 285 will get us serious about extending (mass) transit further.”
Construction started in mid-February with site-clearing, tree-cutting and drain inspections.
When possible, road work will be done at night and on weekends to minimize the impact on traffic, but daytime digging and building is unavoidable, according to the Georgia Department of Transportation.
“It’s going to create some headaches for us for a while” around I-285, said Chamblee Mayor Eric Clarkson. “Your traffic is going to get worse. How do we mitigate that?”
The mayors emphasized the need for regional collaboration on traffic, public transportation and planning.
About 420,000 vehicles pass through the I-285/Ga. 400 interchange daily, far more than the 100,000 it was designed for.
Metro Atlanta’s transportation infrastructure needs to keep up with its growth, which inevitably brings traffic, said Dunwoody Mayor Denis Shortal.
“We’ve only just begun,” Shortal said. “Progress requires patience.”
Even then, traffic may be worse than it is today, Paul said.
The rebuilt interchange will help reduce traffic jams, but it isn’t expected to keep up with expected growth.
The Atlanta Braves move this season to SunTrust Park in Cobb County to the west will only increase the load on both highways and surface streets, he said.
Brookhaven Mayor John Ernst says he hasn’t received any calls or emails from traffic-weary residents. But that could change as the pace of construction — and delays — increases.
He said metro Atlanta should unify around the goals of growth and transportation solutions.
“It’s time for Atlanta to awaken and go out there and be that strong economic engine,” Ernst said.
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