ATLANTA — Residents impacted by one of Georgia’s largest transportation projects packed a community meeting Thursday night to voice concerns about construction tied to the $1.2 billion Interstate 285/Interstate 20 West Interchange project.
Channel 2’s Brittany Kleinpeter was at the meeting as neighbors spoke directly with officials from the Georgia Department of Transportation about the massive overhaul, which is expected to continue through 2030.
While GDOT says the project will improve traffic flow, reduce congestion and modernize the interchange, many residents said construction has already disrupted their daily lives.
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“We’ve got trucks coming through the neighborhood, we can’t get out of our driveways. It has been a nightmare,” resident Portia Skeete said.
Another resident, C. Dolorius Lee-Furlow, said the construction has taken a toll on her health.
“My sleep was so disrupted during this process that I actually had to go through a sleep study,” Lee-Furlow said.
The project includes rebuilding the I-285/I-20 West interchange, adding new lanes and replacing or modifying several bridges. GDOT says the improvements are designed to ease congestion along one of metro Atlanta’s busiest freight corridors.
“At the end of the day, we do have to get a project built, and we try to mitigate the neighborhood impacts as much as possible, but there are always going to be people frustrated by the work,” GDOT spokesperson Kyle Collins said.
During the meeting, residents raised concerns about increased traffic, neighborhood access, construction noise, erosion and the potential impact on property values.
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“This project has greatly impacted the quality of life for everyone that lives here or drives through here,” resident Stacey Kate Accad said.
“We are concerned about our properties, the property values, the erosion,” resident Connie Mabry added.
GDOT officials said public feedback will continue to play a role as construction progresses. Drivers should also expect ongoing traffic shifts and occasional road closures during different phases of the project.
“This is one of the busiest industrial corridors in the eastern United States, so getting us off that bottleneck list is not only going to help commerce, but it’s going to help the everyday driver as well,” Collins said.
The project is expected to reach substantial completion in 2030.
Resident Pamela Dent said she hopes the work is finished as quickly as possible.
“Hurry up and get it done and try not to make it so confusing,” Dent said.
GDOT officials said they plan to continue holding community meetings throughout construction. Residents also had an opportunity Thursday to discuss concerns related to the I-285 Westside Rebuild project, which connects with the I-285/I-20 West interchange improvements and is expected to be completed in 2028.
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