Project Would Widen 12 Miles Of Interstate 85 in Gwinnett

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA — A Georgia Department of Transportation plan would widen more than 12 miles of Interstate 85 in the northern part of Gwinnett County.

In most parts of that stretch, the main improvement would be widening two-lane parts of the interstate to three lanes and adding a median barrier.

The DOT will be holding two open house meetings to discuss the plan with the public.

They are scheduled for Tuesday, December 6, from 4-7 p.m. at the Mill Creek High School media center and Thursday, December 8, from 4-7 p.m. in the Braselton Community Room in downtown Braselton.

The Gwinnett County section of the work is part of a two-phase plan. A separate project would continue lane widening for another 12 miles into Barrow County.

The two-phase widening project would run from just north of I-985 to just north of State Route 211, then from just north of 211 to just north of U.S. 129.

In addition to expanding to three lanes in each direction, there would be a 14-foot striped buffer added between general purpose and managed express lanes.

The project also proposes to replace four I-85 overpass bridges — at Spout Springs Road, Flowery Branch Road, Jesse Cronic Road and State Route 332.

The existing bridges would be closed and traffic detoured during the construction.

The public is invited to learn more about the project, view maps and displays, provide comments and discuss the project with DOT staff at the open houses. There will be no formal presentation.

All comments will be considered in the final project design, the DOT says.