On Friday, construction crews plan to close the interchange at Jimmy Carter Boulevard and I-85 for a “weekend of transformation” in southwest Gwinnett County. The closure, weather permitting, is one of the final steps reconfiguring the traffic pattern for Georgia’s third diverging-diamond interchange .
This historic event for the Norcross-area community has been a long-needed improvement to Jimmy Carter Boulevard, consistently ranked as one of metro Atlanta’s most congested interchanges. The bridge will close to through traffic at 9 p.m Friday, and will reopen with the new traffic configuration at 5 a.m. Monday. Should inclement weather impede construction, an alternate date is scheduled for March 27-30. It is important to note that construction will continue around the interchange through the summer.
At the two previously completed diverging-diamond interchanges in Georgia — Ashford-Dunwoody Road at I-285, and Pleasant Hill Road at I-85 — traffic reduction was felt immediately. Following the completion of the Pleasant Hill interchange, traffic analysis indicated a 51-percent decrease in the number of stops and a 43-percent decrease in total delay.
The Gwinnett Village Community Improvement District expects to see similar positive results at the Jimmy Carter interchange, but the overall project is more than just a congestion-relief project. To symbolize the transformation of southwest Gwinnett, the district has coupled this road work with an architectural component, a gateway into the county for hundreds of thousands of motorist who pass underneath it each day.
The angular design is inspired by a little-known fact: The Eastern Continental Divide runs across this bridge and is one of the highest points in Gwinnett County, with great views of downtown Atlanta and Stone Mountain.
The diverging diamond at Jimmy Carter and I-85 is also a great example why community improvement districts are successful, strong partnerships. This project is funded by private funds from district businesses and by the Gwinnett County SPLOST and the State Road and Tollway Authority .
Bringing multiple partners from the private and public sector together with a common goal is what makes the community improvement district model effective. This project is just a snapshot of those partnerships in action. It will be the model for a future that facilitates shared responsibility and pushes transportation enhancements forward on a larger scale in the metro region.
Chuck Warbington is executive director of the Gwinnett Village Community Improvement District.
