The I-85 Widening project, the first of the 11 initial Major Mobility Investment Program (MMIP) projects to break ground, has accomplished one year of construction, and is more than 50 percent complete. 

“This project is a catalyst for a decade-long effort to ease mobility issues across the state’s major metropolitan areas,” Georgia Department of Transportation (Georgia DOT) Construction Manager Stephen Lively, P.E., said. “We are happy to report that through one year of construction, our goals are being met.”

The I-85 Widening project will increase capacity in Gwinnett, Barrow, and Jackson counties by adding a third driving lane in each direction utilizing the existing median from the I-85/I-985 Interchange in Gwinnett County to SR 53 Jackson County. The project is anticipated to open to traffic in mid-2020.

The project also includes three overpass bridge replacements along the corridor that are over 50 years old and one northbound and one southbound mainline bridge replacement. The Spout Springs Road Bridge in Gwinnett County, the first of the three overpass bridges to close, opened to traffic on Friday, July 19. The Jesse Cronic Road Bridge in Jackson County closed on June 17 and is scheduled to reopen in mid-December. The Flowery Branch Road Bridge in Gwinnett County will close in early 2020. 

“We are pleased to place the Spout Springs Road Bridge back into service,” Georgia DOT I-85 Widening Project Manager Marlo Clowers, P.E. said. “The new structure replaces one that was more than 50 years old and deemed structurally obsolete. The bridge will include new sidewalks and bring improved safety, mobility, and access to the surrounding community.”

The design-build team of C.W. Matthews and Infrastructure Consulting & Engineering (ICE) is managing construction activity. In addition to the roadway and bridge improvements, the team is installing noise barriers and Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) technology along the 10-mile stretch.

MAJOR MOBILITY INVESTMENT PROGRAM
Together, the 11 initial major mobility projects will add over 300 new lane miles in Georgia’s metro areas. They also will create additional capacity, improve the movement of freight, provide operational improvements and efficiencies, enhance safety, and decrease travel times. When complete, the projects will lead to a five percent reduction in delay and provide travel time savings in the year 2030, as compared to doing nothing over the next decade.

Last July, former Governor Nathan Deal, Georgia DOT State Transportation Board members Jamie Boswell, Rudy Bowen and Dana Lemon, and Georgia DOT Commissioner Russell R. McMurry, P.E., hosted a ceremonial groundbreaking for the project in Braselton. The project is anticipated to help reduce overall future delay in the corridor by up to 56 percent.

Additional information about the first phase of the I-85 Widening project can be found at
http://www.dot.ga.gov/BS/Projects/SpecialProjects/I85WideningI985SR53. 

More information about the Georgia DOT’s MMIP initiative can be found at http://www.dot.ga.gov/MMIP.