All lanes on the west side of I-285 will close this weekend between Cascade Road and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive as the Georgia Department of Transportation begins major repairs on the Perimeter.
The shutdown will begin at 7 p.m. tonight, May 15, and last until 5 a.m. on Monday, May 18.
Motorists got a reprieve from the closure last weekend due to the weather, and the contractor unable to guarantee completing the work before 5 a.m. on Monday.
Drivers should expect heavy traffic and detours onto I-20 and Langford Parkway throughout the weekend, according to GDOT officials.
“Plan ahead,” warned GDOT Spokesperson Natalie Dale. “We know that when you shut down two miles of a major interstate, congestion has to go somewhere.”
The full shutdown is part of the state’s plan to rebuild nearly 17 miles of I-285 in three years.
“There’s going to be new barrier walls, upgraded guardrails, overhead signs, better drainage,” Dale said
She said road workers are now ready to fix the 60-year-old concrete in the section of highway that runs from exit 7 to exit 9.
“To be able to do a full depth grind down of these concrete slabs, and then do an asphalt overlay, which will have easier maintenance in the long run, we have to shut down full sections to do that safely because of the size of the equipment that has to be in to do it,” said Dale.
MARTA said customers should expect delays and longer wait times due to the increase in traffic on surface streets caused by the closure of I-285.
The following bus routes will be most directly impacted. These routes will operate as scheduled this weekend, but service will be delayed due to increased traffic, and customers will experience longer wait times.
Route 2 – Ponce De Leon, Donald Lee Hollowell
Route 3 – King Memorial Station, H.E. Holmes Station
Route 5 – Piedmont Road, Sandy Springs
Route 14 – Bland Town/Hightower Road
Route 26 – James Jackson Pkwy, Perry Boulevard
Route 42 – McDaniel Street/Pryor Road
Route 51 – Joseph E. Boone, Ralph McGill
Route 52 – Marietta Road
Route 66 – Brownlee Road, Harbin Road
Route 71 – Cascade Road
Route 73 – Fulton Industrial
Route 83 – Campbellton Road
Route 84 – Camp Creek
Route 96 – Dogwood Drive/Virginia Avenue
Route 115 – Kensington Sta. Stone Crest Mall
Route 116 – Redan Road
Route 117 – Stone Mountain, Panola Road
Route 120 – E. Ponce De Leon
Route 165 – Fairburn Road/Camp Creek Pkwy
Route 178 – Mt. Zion Road
Route 184 – Camp Creek
Route 191 – Riverdale/ ATL International Terminal
Route 194 – Conley Road/ Mount Zion
MARTA Reach Zone 304
MARTA also said its paratransit service, Mobility, will be significantly impacted due to the Perimeter closure.
Rail service will not be impacted, but customers should allow more time when traveling to rail stations or making connections, officials said.
