After a last-minute delay last week, the Georgia Department of Transportation said a planned closure in both directions on Interstate 285 will take place this weekend.
All northbound and southbound lanes of Interstate 285 between Martin Luther King Jr. Drive and Cascade Road in Fulton County will now close beginning at 7 p.m. Friday, May 15. 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.
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.”
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.”
