DeKalb News: GDOT seeks input on Interstate 20, Panola Road interchange

The Panola Road interchange at Interstate 20. AJC file photo.

The Panola Road interchange at Interstate 20. AJC file photo.

The Georgia Department of Transportation wants residents to weigh in tonight on a proposal to improve the Panola Road interchange at Interstate 20 and widen the busy street.

Among the improvements proposed:

  • Reconstructing the interchange to incorporate a diverging diamond design that shifts traffic from one side of Panola Road to another with four lanes in each direction;
  • Widening other portions of Panola Road to six lanes with a raised median;
  • Adding four-foot bike lanes and five-foot sidewalks;
  • Turn lane additions for side roads between Minola Drive and Snapfinger Woods Drive.

The interchange alone has an estimated price tag of $26.7 million. Last year, the AJC reported that GDOT was trying to obtain funding.

The Open House is scheduled for tonight (March 5) at Big Miller Grove Missionary Baptist Church, 3800 Big Miller Grove Way in Lithonia from 5 to 7 p.m. The purpose is to allow residents to view the project, ask questions and provide comments.