Work will soon begin on a stretch of Atlanta-area Interstate the Georgia Department of Transportation hopes will help unclog one of the worst freight bottlenecks in the U.S.
The annual Top Truck Bottleneck List compiled by the American Transportation Research Institute (ATRI) measures the level of truck-involved congestion at more than 325 locations on the national highway system, and the Interstate 20/I-285 interchange consistently ranks inside the top 5.
“We’re excited to start the next phase of this project, which will improve safety for motorists and freight along this interchange ranked the fifth-worst truck bottleneck in the country by the American Transportation Research Institute,” said Georgia DOT Project Manager Matthew Fowler. "As part of Georgia's Freight Plan, this project is a great opportunity to alleviate congestion and enhance safety for all users."
I-285/I-20 West interchange project
Proposed improvements to the interchange include the removal of left-hand ramp entrance and exit ramps from interchange; improvement of geometric design and vertical grades; construction of two-lane ramps within the interchange; construction of westbound collector-distributor lanes, or connecting lanes, from I-285/I-20 West Interchange to Fulton Industrial Boulevard; adding lanes along I-20 from Factory Shoals Road to Hamilton E. Holmes Drive; adding lanes along I-285 from Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway south to MLK Jr. Drive to accommodate interchange improvements; and modifying/replacing bridge structures and ramps in interchange and along I-20 including those over the Fulton County Railway (CSX RR) and the Chattahoochee River.
Georgia DOT expects construction to begin next year with substantial completion expected in 2030.
East interchange construction
Starting at Panola Road, motorists traveling I-20 westbound can expect a 50-foot lane shift right to new Snapfinger Creek bridge sections and will then transition back to the existing mainline lanes approaching Wesley Chapel Road. To guide drivers to the new temporary alignment, I-20 will be re-striped, raised pavement markings added, and temporary barrier wall placed.
To maintain all three lanes on I-20, the work to widen and replace this bridge is happening in phases. In this initial phase, crews constructed a new bridge adjacent to the existing westbound bridge. Elsewhere on the I-285/I-20 East Interchange project, construction on the new flyover bridges within the interchange continues with concrete pours ongoing for bridge bents.
Crews recently completed the placement of steel girders over I-20 eastbound for the new I-285 southbound to I-20 eastbound bridge ramp. The first concrete pours for the new bridge over I-20 at Fairington Road and Hillandale Drive were recently finished as well. Following weeks of rock blasting, activities supporting a new I-20 westbound auxiliary lane, eastbound collector-distributor lane, or connecting lane, along with paving and barrier wall construction continue throughout the corridor.
