Photo credit: Georgia DOT
As the first phase of widening a section of Interstate 85 nears its completion, the Georgia Department of Transportation has named the contractor for the second phase of the project.
C.W. Matthews, the contractor on the first phase, has won the design-build contract with a bid of $94.6 million, according to the Cobb County Courier.
I-85 widening Phase 2 map by the Georgia DOT
The contract involves designing and building one additional lane in each direction on Interstate 85 northeast of Atlanta, giving it a total of six lanes, according to the Georgia DOT. The project between S.R. 53 and U.S. 129 in Jackson County will replace an overpass bridge and six mainline bridges along the interstate. Design work is scheduled to be completed by the end of the year, with construction starting next year, the GDOT says.
The first-phase project, which stretches through Gwinnett and Barrow counties to S.R. 53, is scheduled to be completed this summer. Construction began in July 2018 and sections of the widened interstate have opened to traffic.
The GDOT says the second phase will be completed four years ahead of its original
Georgia DOT Phase 1 map
schedule and open to traffic in 2023. It is part of the state’s Major Mobility Investment Program, which uses design-build contracts and public-private partnerships to speed up construction. The GDOT says it was also able to accelerate the project because of no required right-of-way acquisitions and little impact on nearby development.