ATLANTA — Drivers are bracing for a major section of Interstate 285 to shut down in both directions.
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The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) planned to shut down I-285 between Cascade Road and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive last weekend, but the threat of rain changed those plans. Now the project is back on and scheduled to begin Friday evening.
“I’m not looking forward to this,” Wanda Stanley told Channel 2’s Tom Jones for Channel 2 Action News at 5 p.m.
Drivers say they are nervous about the shutdown.
Nia Lim said, “I mean, it’s already hectic without it shutting down.”
Some people have no idea why their lives will be turned upside down for an entire weekend. All they know is they will have to search for detours and navigate back roads to get around.
“If you don’t know the backroads, you’d better hope Google does and use your GPS,” Lim explained.
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GDOT needs to shut down the section of I-285 to repair and replace concrete pavement. It’s all part of the $370 million I-285 westside rebuild. A project that will replace crumbling pavement and improve safety and ride conditions along the interstate.
“I know we’re gonna lose our Saturday foot traffic,” said LaMont Bynum, the owner of Rite At Home Interior Design showroom.
His furniture store is on Cascade Road and close to I-285.
He says it’s the only African American interior design showroom in the state. Bynum says the shutdown is going to affect his business as customers will have a hard time getting there.
“And I’m pretty sure the back streets are going to be overloaded,” said Bynum.
He’s concerned about losing customers and revenue. It’s why he has come up with a plan.
“I’m trying to get people in now today (Thursday) and tomorrow (Friday),” he explained.
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The shutdown begins at 7 p.m. on Friday and ends at 5 a.m. Monday.
GDOT is urging people to leave early because there will be congestion, not just in the area of the shutdown, but across metro Atlanta. It expects congestion on Interstate 20, Interstate 75 and Highway 166 as people use detours to get around the shutdown.
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