ATLANTA — Part of Interstate 285 is shut down for the weekend as the Georgia Department of Transportation looks to rebuild the west side of the roadway.
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The highway is closed in both directions from Langford Parkway to Cascade Road.
Channel 2’s Michael Doudna reports Officials say it’s because this project isn’t just a tweak or a resurface. It’s closer to a rebuild.
And the machines they are using will make it unsafe for other cars to be on the roads.
In the 1960s, Georgia built a ring of progress — the I-285 perimeter.
It’s been 60 years since the original construction of 285, but now time and the city’s growth has taken its toll.
“It’s terrible. I’ve had to replace my tires many times because I live in Atlanta. There are so many potholes,” LaTrane Simpkins said.
“A 10-minute drive is now a 35- to 40-minute drive,” Shaiheim James said.
For many drivers, the problems are easy to spot. Fixing them is not.
GDOT is investing $370 million into what amounts to a multi-year rebuild of the interstate.
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But completing that work could mean shutting down sections of I-285 up to 40 times over the next three years.
“It’s going to be probably slower for us because everybody will be sitting in traffic, and the lights are only just so long,” James said.
“But it’s a headache, especially with being a beauty professional. It’s a headache because you got to get to your clientele on time,” Simpkins said.
Businesses along Cascade Road know what happens when I-285 shuts down, as packed roads lead to empty stores.
But GDOT says they have no choice but to close all lanes because of the machines, like the guillotine blade, which constantly pounds the pavement to crush concrete panels.
That’s just part of the work needed to break down the old highway.
“It’s just simply not safe or efficient when you have flowing traffic,” said GDOT spokesperson Natalie Dale.
Dale says crews will strip the roadway “down to the studs,” rebuild it and resurface it before traffic returns Monday morning.
“This is a round-the-clock effort,” she said.
So this weekend, one of Atlanta’s busiest roads will sit nearly empty, as residents hope the short-term pain leads to long-term gain.
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