The Georgia Department of Transportation has marked another milestone in its years-long project to rebuild the I-285 and State Route 400 interchange in Atlanta.
Within the past month, eastbound and westbound lanes on I-285 have been reopened after being closed since October 2022 between Ashford Dunwoody Road and Roswell Road.
The reopening followed the demolition and reconstruction of interstate bridges over Glenridge Drive, State Route 400 and Peachtree Dunwoody Road.
Big news at #Transform285400! I-285 bridge reconstruction came to an end this weekend! You see the lanes in progress here? These I-285 WB lanes officially reopened between Ashford Dunwoody Rd. and Roswell Road?
Follow @511GA for the latest updates! pic.twitter.com/Z6TRsscUod
— Georgia DOT (@GADeptofTrans) August 15, 2023
While a lane was closed in each direction, the contractor on the project built inside lanes for the new bridges, shifted traffic and then built the outside lanes to try to reduce traffic disruption.
The goal of the Transform I-285/SR 400 project is to reduce congestion and traffic weaving and increase safety in the metro area.
Construction began in February 2017 on the $800 million project and is expected to be completed this year, with sections being opened as they are completed. North Perimeter Contractors, a subsidiary of Ferrovial Agroman US Corp., is the Georgia DOT’s project developer and construction partner.
In all, the project will improve 4.3 miles of I-285 from west of Roswell Road to east of Ashford Dunwoody Road and 6.2 miles along SR 400 from the Glenridge Connector to north of Spalding Drive. The work includes new flyover ramps, new collector-distributor lanes and other improvements to east-west travel on I-285 and north-south travel on SR 400. More than 420,000 vehicles a day are estimated to travel through the corridor surrounding the interchange. I-285 is 50 years old and the bridges were due for replacement, according to GDOT.