Expect summer roadwork headaches in metro Atlanta
ON THE ROADS AGAIN
The following construction jobs are underway or beginning this summer in metro Atlanta:
- Roadway improvements and city of Atlanta water and sewer line replacement on Northside Drive between I-75 and Collier Road (beginning in July).
- Construction of the new "Skip Spann Connector" overpass above I-75 in northwest Cobb County.
- Reconstruction of the Ga. 400 interchange at Northridge Road in Fulton.
- Ongoing demolition of remaining Ga. 400 toll plaza structures and subsequent shifting of traffic into permanent lane configuration.
- Replacement of Spring Street Viaduct in downtown Atlanta (to begin in September).
- Intersection improvements at Ga. 316 with both Ga. 20 and Collins Hill Road in Gwinnett County.
- Ga. 20 widening projects in Gwinnett and Forsyth counties.
With children out of school, summer is usually the time for a much-needed traffic reprieve.
But that won’t be the case this year for motorists who anticipate traveling on weekends on the west side of I-285 or the 70-plus mile stretch of I-20 between Carroll and Newton counties.
A major reconstruction of the west side of I-285 and a string of separate projects along I-20 will require the Georgia Department of Transportation to close multiple lanes on weekends and single lanes on weekdays. Weeknight lane closures are to be expected as well.
All those lane closures are likely to add up to significant delays for drivers, according to GDOT state construction engineer Marc Mastronardi.
The west side of I-285 carries about 165,000 vehicles a day. The west side of I-20 carries about 150,000 vehicles inside the Perimeter; 105,000 outside the Perimeter. Thousands of those vehicles are tractor-trailers.
“Quite honestly, it won’t be pleasant,” Mastronardi said in an email earlier this week. “Especially on the west side where I-285 and I-20 share so much long-haul truck traffic.”
GDOT advises everyone passing through that area to plan ahead by using its free 511 phone system or www.511ga.org website to get real-time road conditions. A little forethought could save motorists hours of gridlock griping.
Interstate travelers can also pick up information on construction and traffic at Georgia welcome centers, which offer free maps and access to real-time information on delays and lane closures.
There are no construction-related lane closures scheduled for the Fourth of July holiday weekend.
