ATLANTA — Georgia's Department of Transportation confirmed to Channel 2 Action News that it will shut down parts of the Downtown Connector for the next three weekends to finish a resurfacing project.
The contractor also plans to fix a problem that caused the road to ice over several times this winter. That ice popped up on the connector between 10th Street and the Brookwood split.
It may be an inconvenience to have three weekends of closures, but because of lucky timing, it could prevent more icy roads next winter
"It was an inconvenience, of course, for the department, but it was a real inconvenience for the motorists who were stuck in it," said DOT spokeswoman Crystal Paulk-Buchanan.
Even the Department of Transportation admits icy patches along the downtown connector in February caused more than the usual morning rush-hour frustration for drivers.
"It definitely has been an issue when they shut that down. Your commute goes from 15 to 20 minutes to a half-hour, 45 minutes, even over an hour sometimes," said commuter Tina Smith.
Trucks had to drop salt and gravel several times a day, on and off for weeks. Water was seeping up from underground, and the middle layer of asphalt wasn't enough to keep it off the road. When temperatures dropped, the water froze.
"It's a permeable surface, and that of course enables the water to seep up; it didn't have a top coat on it," Paulk-Buchanan told Channel 2.
The Department of Transportation planned on getting that top coat of asphalt last fall, but it didn't happen because of rain and cold temperatures.
There's no guarantee that top coat would have blocked the seeping water, but now the contractor can cut thin horizontal grooves in the exposed middle layer, before putting on the top coat. That should make sure the problem doesn't happen again next winter.
The schedule of lane closures will be posted on Thursday. Check back with wsbtv.com for the complete schedule. Drivers are being urged to avoid the connector as much as possible.