Lane closures on I-285 to cause major delays, 'nightmare' for drivers
GDOT to close two westbound lanes of I-285 Saturday night
One thing this spooky season did not want is a traffic nightmare along the top-end perimeter. The Georgia Department of Transportation is set to shut down two westbound lanes of Interstate 285 from Ashford-Dunwoody Road to Roswell Road this weekend. Two eastbound lanes were closed weeks ago.
ATLANTA - If you get a headache from all the traffic on Interstate 285 already, it's about to get a lot worse.
Saturday, the Georgia Department of Transportation's plans to fully shut down two lanes of Interstate 285 along the Perimeter from Roswell Road to Ashford Dunwoody Road. The same lane closures are already in place on the east side.
Officials say the closures are necessary so that crews can do bridge repairs at Glenridge, Peachtree-Dunwoody and Georgia-400. The repairs are going to take a while, so drivers should be prepared to sit in a lot of traffic for the next eight months or longer.
"This one’s a big one. This one’s a doozy," said Natalie Dale, a spokesperson for GDOT. "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."
The best advice from officials for drivers? Plan for an alternate route or add in extra time in your drive. GDOT warns that the backups could be up to an hour or more for some drivers.
"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.
Dog groomer Sherece McKendrick drives along the highway for work and described the situation as "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.
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.