GDOT Schedules Open House For I-285, GA 400 Improvements

The Georgia Department of Transportation next week will hold two public informational meetings on plans to improve the Interstate 285 interchange with Georgia 400.

Both meetings will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 18 at St. Jude Catholic Church Ministry Hall. The church is at 7171 Glenridge Drive in Sandy Springs.

The proposed improvements will be along a 4.3 mile stretch of I-285 from west of Roswell Road in Sandy Springs to east of Ashford-Dunwoody Road in DeKalb County and along S.R. 400 from Glenridge Connector to Spalding Drive, which is about six 6 miles.

The improvements, designed to reduce traffic congestion and improve safety around the interchange, include new flyover ramps, new collector-distributor lanes and other facilities to aid east-west travel on along I-285 and north-south travel along SR 400 would be constructed.

“This project will be a game-changer, offering significant improvements in mobility not only in all areas touched by the 400/285 interchange, but in the surface streets that connect to this corridor,” Sandy Springs Mayor Rusty Paul previously told Patch. “It is a major step forward in the infrastructure of this region.”

The Federal Highway Administration in late September approved the Atlanta Transportation Improvement Plan, which includes funding for the improvements.

The Georgia Department of Transportation estimates the design-build cost to be $1.06 billion. In May, the governor and GDOT board members approved the sale of $130 million in previously authorized bonds and the use of $81.5 million in accrued state motor fuel funds to accelerate the project. To complete the funding of the improvements, GDOT will utilize a public-private partnership model.