ATLANTA — While the complete closure of Interstate 285 in southwest Atlanta is delayed, some lanes are still closed in the area for the weekend.
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The Georgia Department of Transportation shut down the two inside lanes in both directions so the contractor can demolish the median barrier wall and install pipes. The original plan called for closing the entire interstate so workers could grind and mill the concrete pavement to fix or repair concrete slabs in the road.
But the threat of rain this weekend canceled the closure.
Sheron Johnson, an electrician and DJ who lives in the area, is relieved.
“Now I can get to everything quicker, faster, rest in instead of leaving two hours early,” he said.
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GDOT planned to have about two miles of the interstate closed, from Martin Luther King Junior Drive to Cascade Road.
The closure was set to begin at 7 p.m. Friday and last until 5 a.m. Monday. But GDOT said because of the predicted rain, the contractor could not guarantee that the work would be complete by 5 a.m. Monday. The agency has not said when the closure will be rescheduled.
The work is part of a project to rebuild a 17-mile stretch of I-285 on the west side, which includes an overhaul of the I-20 interchange.
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Evangeline Ingles works at Gocha’s Breakfast Bar and said with the interstate shut down, she planned to allow herself more than two hours to get to work.
There’s a reprieve this weekend, but she knows the closure must come eventually.
“It’s just going to be bad, it’s going to be horrific,” she said. “Nobody’s going to be happy. They’re not understanding that they’re doing this to fix the road and stuff to make us safer.”
GDOT said the total interstate closure will cut the project time in half, and with the large equipment required, it’s safer for drivers.