Workers have begun removing trees on I-20 near the Wesley Chapel Road exit in preparation for the $30.9 million I-20/I-285 Collector/Distributor project.
The 4.7-mile project, which will transform the I-20/1-285 interchange, will extend between the Columbia Drive and Wesley Chapel Road exits and eliminate the significant weaving that takes place between I-20 eastbound traffic exiting at Wesley Chapel and vehicles entering I-20 East from I-285.
Crews began removing trees on I-20 near the Wesley Chapel Road exit on Jan. 26, and are preparing to install the drainage infrastructure.
The contract for the collector/distributor lanes project was awarded Feb. 7, 2011, to Marietta-based C.W. Matthews Contracting Co. Inc.
At the time, construction was to start in the fall and continue through July 31, 2013.
It was unclear at press time Thursday whether the later start will affect the completion date.
Since 2005, the number of vehicles using the interchange daily has grown from 82,489 to 96,000.
By 2012, the Georgia Department of Transportation estimates that 99,875 vehicles will use the interchange.
The traffic growth has brought an increase in accidents. More than 534 people were injured within the project’s area between 2005 and 2007.
Three have been killed.
Among other things, the collector/distributor lanes project will widen I-20 up to five lanes at certain points, add 1.2 miles of barrier-separated collector/distributor lanes from the I-285/I-20 interchange to Wesley Chapel Road, and realign the I-285 northbound and southbound ramps to I-20 East.
The collector/distributor lanes project was one of 18 projects totaling $403 million that were under way in metro Atlanta as part of GDOT’s RoadWorks 2011 summer construction program.
GDOT is urging motorists to exercise extreme caution while driving through work zones and to obey posted, reduced speed limits; avoid unnecessary lane changes; and allow extra stopping distance between vehicles.
For more information, visit GeorgiaNavigator.com or call 511.
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