Notorious pothole-ridden road in Atlanta finally getting a makeover; what you need to know

ATLANTA - An Atlanta road infamous for its potholes is about to get ripped up and replaced.

Starting Monday night, construction crews will begin repaving the worn-out pavement on DeKalb Avenue, bringing much-needed relief to frustrated drivers.

Driver Ricky Hernandez knows the feeling of whamming his car into a street crater.

"You feel it when you hit that pothole, you just feel it in your core," said Hernandez. "You feel the rim hitting the pothole, and you just feel the entire vibration through your body. It sucks."

The road’s dismal condition has been an issue for years, causing drivers to dodge potholes or risk damage to their cars.

"You can hear the car just cu-clunk," said Eric Antell, a worker at Rodger Jordan Garage on the road.

He said with a big hole right in front of the garage, sometimes he can hear their next customer needing a suspension replacement.

"It seems that every time they do a little bit of work on it, it gets worse," Antell said. "Then, people drive on it and it gets even worse. Before you know it, the cars are all in here getting suspension work done."

Atlanta transportation officials said the project will span from Jackson Street to Ridgecrest Road, with plans to minimize traffic disruptions by working through the overnight hours. They said traffic flow will be maintained for the duration of the resurfacing, though intermittent lane closures may cause traffic delays.

The first night of work is Monday, from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. Tuesday morning.

Along with resurfacing, the project includes the installation of bike lanes, new traffic lights, and a resolution to the persistent flooding issues.

Officials said the dreaded reversible lane signals will be eliminated as part of the overhaul.

"In April, ATLDOT filled nearly 70 potholes along DeKalb Avenue, closed the despised reversible lane and installed temporary turn lanes," ATLDOT Commissioner Solomon Cavines said in a news release. "After months of work to combat chronic flooding, improve watershed infrastructure and relocate utility lines, we are on track to begin the full resurfacing of DeKalb Avenue."

Antell said the project is years overdue.

"‘Finally’ is the main word, because they should’ve been doing this a long time ago," said Antell.