Developer Chosen To Rebuild I-285, GA-400 Interchange

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Sandy Springs, GA -- The State Transportation Board on Thursday took a major step in moving forward on a plan to improve one of metro Atlanta’s most congested interchanges.

The board voted to accept North Perimeter Contractors as the “apparent best value development partner” to design, construct and partially finance the I-285/ S.R. 400 Reconstruction Project, Georgia DOT said.

North Perimeter Contractors is a team made up of Ferrovial Agroman US Corp. as lead contractor and The Louis Berger Group and Neel-Schaffer, Inc. as lead designers.

“This interchange will improve the movement of people and goods across and within the state, expand Georgia’s role as a major logistics hub for global commerce and assist in creating jobs and growing businesses,” Governor Nathan Deal said. “Today our state has taken another step in the right direction to facilitate much needed relief to commuters and area businesses.”

The Board chose North Perimeter Contractors as a result of an evaluation based on proposals submitted Sept. 25 by four short-listed development teams.

Final selection was weighted 80 percent on price and 20 percent on technical capabilities, which included project management, traffic management, schedule and disadvantage business involvement.

The project remains in active procurement until a final Public Private Partnership (P3) agreement is executed in early 2016, which limits the release of proposal and process details at this time, GDOT said.

Sandy Springs Mayor Rusty Paul praised Thursday’s development.

“We are looking forward to improving mobility throughout the North Fulton region,” he said. “This project is big and will present challenges to commuters during its construction, but in the long-term, it will provide a positive contribution to quality of life in this region.”

The I-285/S.R. 400 Reconstruction Project will rebuild the interchange and also make improvements along I-285 from west of Roswell Road in Sandy Springs to east of Ashford-Dunwoody Road in DeKalb County, a 4.3 mile stretch.

It will also make improvements along a 6.2 mile stretch of S.R. 400 from the Glenridge Connector to the Spalding Drive overpass.

Improvements include the construction of new flyover ramps, new collector-distributor lanes and other facilities to aid east-west travel along I-285 and north-south travel along S.R. 400. The project also includes the extension of PATH 400 trail system to inside the perimeter.

The average commuter in the corridor is expected to save eights hours a year in commuting time and over 20,000 hours a day reduction in delay for all users as a result of the project completion, GDOT estimates. The entire project is anticipated to be complete by mid-2020.

The original valuation of the project anticipated a total cost of $1.1 billion; however, through the “competitiveness and resourcefulness” possible with a P3 procurement, the bid of North Perimeter Contractors was $460 million, according to the state agency.

The reduced costs of design, construction and financing now place the current total project estimate at $679 million. This figure includes preliminary design, environmental approval, right of way acquisition, oversight roles, final design, construction, finance charges, utility relocation, construction engineering and inspection and bonding and insurance.

The project will be funded through a combination of federal, state, Perimeter CIDs and private sector funds provided by North Perimeter Contractors.

“Our top transportation priority for the region and Perimeter Center area is the re-construction of the I-285/SR 400 Interchange,” said Yvonne Williams, president and CEO of the Perimeter Community Improvement Districts, which will be contributing $10 million towards the project. “It’s extremely rewarding for our Perimeter CIDs to partner with Governor Nathan Deal and the Georgia Department of Transportation on a project of such statewide significance.”

Details about the project can be viewed on GDOT’s website dedicated to the plan.

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