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Lane shifts planned for weekend, weeknights on I-85 south project

First focus is on southbound mile stretch between Buffington Road and I-285

By JOHN MUNFORD
jmunford@TheCitizenNews.com

Work on I-85 between the exit for Ga. Highway 54 and I-285 will get a little more intense for southbound motorists beginning this weekend.

Crews will be working on the two right-hand lanes starting 9 p.m. Friday, so concrete barriers will re-route traffic into the two left-hand lanes, with a small shift toward the shoulder of the road, said DOT spokesperson Karlene Barron.

This part of the project is more intense because the two right lanes will be completely ripped out and replaced, Barron noted.

The southbound lanes will be worked on in this manner for the next several weeks between Buffington Road and I-285, Barron said. Also, the ramp to Spur 4 will be closed for the next two weekends, and motorists are urged to use Old National Highway instead.

Lane closures on the weekends run from 9 p.m. Fridays until 5 a.m. Mondays to avoid conflicts with commuters during the normal work week. On weeknights Mondays through Thursdays, lane closures will occur between 9 p.m and 5 a.m.

The contractor has finished patching and fixing the two left lanes on the northbound and southbound sides of the road, which required removal of certain slabs of pavement in some places, Barron said.

This section of the Interstate was built about 35 years ago and has deteriorated to the point where the full reconstruction will be necessary, officials said.

Motorists can stay up-to-date on the project by surfing to www.georgia-navigator.com for construction updates. The site also offers MyNavigator, which provides customized route information that can be downloaded to personal computers, cell phones and PDAs. Construction information is also available 24 hours a day by calling 1-888-419-GDOT (4368) or by dialing *DOT on Verizon, Cingular or AT&T cell phones.