North Fulton County

TRAFFIC ALERT: GDOT warns of ‘controlled blasts’ along I-285 in Sandy Springs

NORTH FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — If you feel the ground shaking beneath you in Sandy Springs in the next few weeks, don’t panic.

The Georgia Department of Transportation is conducting a series of controlled explosions along I-285 eastbound between the Perimeter Center Parkway overpass and Ashford Dunwoody Road, the city of Sandy Springs said in a statement.

The blasts started Monday afternoon and will take place at 1:30 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, if weather permits, until March.

“Additional controlled blasts will occur Monday through Friday during the daytime three times a week until the end of March 2020,” the city said.

Channel 2′s Mike Petchenik was in Sandy Springs, where people working in the area and in Dunwoody may have heard the booms right after lunch Monday.

Officials said crews are removing granite from the north side of the top-end perimeter for a major road project. The Georgia Department of Transportation is preparing to add managed lanes on that stretch of highway, but before crews can do it, they have to remove the thick granite in the project’s way.

Even if commuters don’t feel the blasts, they hope to see the benefits.

“I think (they need to) do what they need to do so they can get that area fixed and working so traffic can flow better,” driver Laura Myers said.

Erica Williams is a bit more skeptical about the project.

“I think by the time it’s finished, it’s not even going to matter,” Williams said.

Perimeter Center Parkway will be blocked from Lake Hearn Drive to Hammond Drive during the blasting operation.

Traffic on I-285 near Perimeter Center Parkway will be paced in both directions, officials said. Pacing for eastbound traffic will occur from Roswell Road, and pacing in westbound lanes will stretch to Chamblee Dunwoody Road.