I-285 Roadwork May Lead to Scary Traffic Delays this Weekend

Staff Report

Metro motorists, please give area youngsters the best treat of all tonight – by slowing down and being especially mindful of the little sugar-jonesing walkers, biters and assorted goblins, ghosts and ghouls out on their annual Halloween frolic.

Then, give yourself a treat this weekend – by staying off of Interstates 20 and 285 on the west side and northbound Interstate 75 in Henry and Clayton counties. If you don’t, you may be in store for quite a trick.

The Georgia Department of Transportation is asking motorists to be particularly careful tonight as “Trick or Treaters” open this Halloween weekend. And as on recent weekends, Georgia DOT urges motorists to minimize travel on west side I-20 and I-285 and this weekend also on I-75 northbound in Henry and Clayton. Weather permitting, Department contractors will continue pavement replacement, bridge repairs and sign installation projects requiring lane closures. These closures may result in lengthy traffic delays.

Georgia DOT does have a treat for eastside motorists, however – the resurfacing of I-20 in Rockdale and Newton counties is finished. Well, finished at least for this year; a quick topping application is still needed but will be deferred until next spring when warmer temperatures are more conducive to its bonding with the pavement.

The Department advises those traveling in the Metro area this weekend to call 511 or consult 511ga.org before departing to learn current work status and traffic conditions. Predicted near-freezing overnight temperatures may preclude some scheduled asphalt work.


Planned I-285 work this weekend is as follows:

· Continuous 9 p.m., Friday, to 5 a.m., Monday, closure of two I-285 Outer Loop lanes between Bolton Road and Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway, for concrete slab repair and replacement;

· Sign structure work will require an Outer Loop I-285 double lane closure and an Inner Loop single lane closure between Chamblee Dunwoody Road and Buford Highway, continuously from 9 p.m., Friday, until 7 a.m., Saturday; and


· As part of the rehabilitation of the south side interchange of I-285 and Interstate 85, crews will be re-striping the interchange bridges from 9 p.m., Friday until 5 a.m., Monday. No lanes will be closed for any appreciable period but traffic will be directed around heavy equipment on the bridges.


This weekend’s schedule for I-20 is:

· Bridge joint and header replacement will require two westbound I-20 lanes be closed downtown between Windsor Street and Lucile Avenue continuously from 9 p.m., Friday, until 5 a.m., Monday.


Other scheduled work includes:

· On Interstate 75 south of the city, two northbound lanes between Hudson Bridge Road/Eagles Landing Parkway and Mount Zion Boulevard will be closed continuously from 9 p.m., Friday, until 9 p.m., Sunday, for concrete slab replacement;

· On Georgia (State Route) 400, two northbound and two southbound lanes at the Northridge Road Interchange in North Fulton County will be closed from 9 p.m., Friday, until 9 p.m., Saturday, for bridge work;


· One northbound GA 400 lane between Sidney Marcus Boulevard and Wieuca Road will be closed from 7 a.m., to 8 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, for fiber optic cable installation; and


· Work on the Northwest Corridor (NWC) Express Lanes project this weekend will be limited to periodic traffic pacing in the area of westbound I-285 at the Kennedy Interchange and the I-75 ramps there to I-285 and Cobb Parkway and only between Midnight, Sunday, and 3 a.m., Monday.



As previously noted, all work is contingent upon favorable weather.

Other Georgia DOT work and routine maintenance will necessitate various lane closures this weekend (as detailed in the attached spreadsheets); the Department also cautions that incident and emergency repair related closures may be necessary on any route at any time.

Finally, the Department requests motorists this weekend not attempt to adjust vehicle clocks to standard time while driving. One hand on the clock and one hand rifling through a manual trying to find instructions on how to reset the darn thing leave no hands on the steering wheel. Please drive cautiously, courteously, unimpaired and undistracted.