Portion of I-285 closed this weekend | Need to know

I-285 shutdown will cause massive Atlanta gridlock

The Georgia Department of Transportation will completely shut down a 2-mile stretch of Interstate 285 on the west side from Friday night until Monday morning for a major repaving project.  

ATLANTA - The Georgia Department of Transportation has closed all lanes of Interstate 285 between Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and Cascade Road. 

Officials are warning drivers to expect massive gridlock and region-wide traffic delays throughout the weekend.

Impact of I-285 closure

What we know:

All northbound and southbound lanes of Interstate 285 between Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and Cascade Road in Fulton County are closed. The lanes will stay closed until 5 a.m. on Monday, May 18. No traffic will be allowed through the affected stretch of highway during the closure, according to GDOT.

GDOT officials said a full shutdown is necessary to safely operate heavy construction equipment and speed up repairs along the corridor. 

Southbound traffic will be detoured onto Interstate 20 and northbound drivers onto Langford Parkway. These detours are expected to cause widespread backups on neighborhood roads and side streets.

What we don't know:

Transportation officials do not know exactly how severe the ripple effects will be on local side streets and surrounding highways over the weekend. It remains unclear if local drivers will heed warnings to stay home or if uneven lanes will cause additional safety hazards and accidents.

Atlanta highway construction

The backstory:

Crews are performing a full-depth reconstruction of the 60-year-old highway to replace aging concrete slabs. The lanes are scheduled to reopen at 5 a.m. Monday, just in time for the morning rush hour.

State contractors originally scheduled this major highway closure for last weekend, which was Mother's Day weekend. However, the threat of bad weather forced crews to call off the work and reschedule the project for this weekend.

The closure is part of a massive, multi-million-dollar rehab project to rebuild a 17-mile stretch of the aging interstate over the next three years.

‘The weekend to stay at home’

Why you should care:

Transportation officials warned drivers to prepare for heavy congestion throughout metro Atlanta, especially on Interstate 20, Interstate 75/85, and Langford Parkway.

"This might be the weekend to stay at home," said GDOT spokesperson Natalie Dale. "But, also, if you do have to be on the road, you want to give yourself ample, ample amount of time."

Westside I-285 shutdown this weekend to cause congestion

A portion of Interstate 285 will be closed in both directions this weekend as a part of a three-year, $370 million investment to repair a 17-mile stretch of the interstate.

The detour

What you can do:

Drivers who must travel through the west side of metro Atlanta should plan ahead and use alternative routes. Southbound traffic is being diverted onto Interstate 20, while northbound traffic is being directed onto Langford Parkway.

MARTA riders should prepare for surface street bus delays, though rail service is operating normally. Motorists can download the 511GA mobile app to check real-time traffic updates before leaving home.

Why is I-285 closing?

Big picture view:

The closure is part of the ongoing I-285 Westside reconstruction project, a multi-year effort focused on rebuilding aging sections of the interstate. Crews will remove and repair concrete pavement while preparing for additional slab replacement work.

"These concrete slabs are in essence 60 years old. They are original to the build of I-285," Dale said. "Concrete, as good as it is, it does reach the useful end of its lifespan."