Oh how I feel for Interstate 20 commuters on the west side of town. Every morning you have to drive toward Atlanta with the rising sun in your eyes, and every evening you head home with the setting sun in your eyes. You’ve dealt with the flooding of the Chattahoochee River that closed the interstate near Six Flags and for the last couple of years you’ve had to drive on some of the worst pavement in Atlanta. There is not much that can be done about the sun or the 500 year floods, but the Department of Transportation is going to try and make your ride a little smoother, literally.
The months-long project to repave and resurface I-20 on the west side of Atlanta started over the weekend and will continue through its scheduled end in December.
“We’ll be resurfacing 15 miles of I-20 from Hill Street in Atlanta to just after the Thornton Road exit,” Annalysce Baker of the Georgia Department of Transportation said. “We’ll start with our ramps first and then we’ll hit what we call the main lines.”
Commuters in Douglas, Cobb and Fulton counties no doubt have noted and noticed the need for this project for quite some time.
“Everyone that travels on the West Freeway knows that this needs to be done,” Baker said.
I concur. Of all the interstates in the metro area, I-20 on the west side seems to be deteriorating worst of all. Drivers encounter what I call “ragged” pavement along many sections of the highway.
“I-20 is very rough,” Baker said. “There are potholes. The pavement has deteriorated pretty badly.”
Most of the work will take place overnight and on weekends, but when crews are out there working on the travel lanes you can certainly expect to see delays. On those occasions when there is work and traffic delays, commuters on the west side should consider alternate routes.
Inside of Interstate 285 drivers can use Joseph E. Boone Boulevard north of I-20 or MLK Jr. Drive south of I-20. Outside of I-285, Ga. 78 is the best alternate.
Construction, as always will be weather dependent. Rain and temperature play a part in when the construction crews can get out there.
“The ground actually has to be a certain temperature for us to mill and inlay,” Baker said.
Weather permitting, the project should be completed by the end of the year.
The project is expected to be complete in December and the overall project will cost about $39.9 million, Baker said.
In the meantime commuters on the west side of I-20 should pack plenty of patience and of course at least one pair of sunglasses.
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