This weekend’s full-lane closure of a section of Interstate-285 will span a new stretch of highly trafficked highway from Paces Ferry Road (Exit 16) to S. Atlanta Road (Exit 18).
According to the Georgia Department of Transportation, there will be significant travel delays. As a detour from the two-mile stretch of interstate, the Georgia DOT encourages motorists on the west side of “The Perimeter” highway loop to use I-75 and I-20 through downtown Atlanta.
There are signs warning drivers about the full closure of both northbound and southbound lanes on I-285, starting Friday at 7 p.m. Typically, maintenance and construction on state highways and interstates do not require all lanes to be closed in both directions.
More project details
The weekend lane closure schedule is posted weekly and accessible from 4 p.m. on Thursdays until 10 a.m. on Mondays.
More than 40 full closures are expected in different sections over the next three years to complete the project. Closures due to roadwork earlier this summer were between Cascade and MLK drives.
Sandy Springs Mayor Rusty Paul warned residents and visitors of the closure on July 29 in a Facebook post, as GDOT replaces “failing pavement.”
“All approaching traffic will be detoured,” Paul said. “Avoid that area. This will be an ongoing issue for several months.”
The I-285 Westside Rebuild Project totals $370 million and seeks to improve safety and mobility on I-285’s west side, “one of the most heavily traveled and congested corridors on the state’s transportation network.”
Throughout the entire project, crews are repaving 17 miles of interstate, including work at 10 intersections and median replacement. Pavement reconstruction is divided into three sections: South Fulton Parkway (SR 14) to Mount Gilead Road, from there to Collier Drive, and then to Paces Ferry Road.
