Multiple lane shutdowns on I-285 expected to cause 'traffic nightmare'

ATLANTA - You think driving along I-285 is bad now? It’s about to get a lot worse. Georgia Department of Transportation will close up to two lanes in each direction from Roswell Road to Ashford-Dunwoody for at least eight months. It's expected to create a traffic nightmare for those driving around the perimeter. 

Motorists tell FOX 5 Atlanta's Christopher King how the closure will drive them crazy. 

"Oh my god! It is horrible," said Sherece McKendrick, a dog groomer who drives along the highway for work. "A horrible nightmare." 

McKendrick says the shutdowns will force her to find another way to get to her clients. 

"I’ve already started taking the street route now before they even start," McKendric said. 

Natalie Dale, a spokesperson for GDOT, said crews will close the eastbound side as early as Saturday, the westbound side, about two weeks later. 

"This one’s a big one. This one’s a doozy," Dale said. "Between Roswell Road and Ashford-Dunwoody, we’re going to have three moving lanes in each direction. That is 24-hours a day, seven days a week for the next eight months."

Dale said crews will be using the time to repair bridges at Glenridge, Peachtree-Dunwoody and Georgia-400.

"Those three bridges, they’re reaching the end of their lifecycle. So they have to be rebuilt anyway," Dale said.

In reality, that could create a traffic nightmare.

"Going around this may add 20 minutes to your commute. But if you roll the dice and go through it, your talking delays that could reverberate throughout your day. In some cases, you can add an hour onto your commute," Dale said. 

GDOT suggests you use apps like Waze, Google Maps or go to Georgia 511.

They also recommend you work remotely or use MARTA if you can.