The Georgia Department of Transportation (Georgia DOT) has advanced four, vital projects on I-285 and State Route (SR) 400 supporting the monumental Major Mobility Investment Program (MMIP), which represents a major investment in the state’s roadway transportation network to meet regional needs and deliver positive results to drivers and transit users.

Georgia DOT’s Advanced Improvement Project (AIP) goals include providing local road improvements earlier, mitigating traffic challenges during the construction of future express lanes’ projects, producing early operational improvements to general purpose lanes and maintaining healthy competition among construction developer partners. The AIP’s are expedited with Design-Build (DB) contract delivery.

Georgia DOT Commissioner Russell R. McMurry, P.E. said transportation investment is a crucial component of Georgia’s economic future, and the collaboration of the surrounding cities and counties proved invaluable to the acceleration of these projects.

The I-285 Westbound Auxiliary Lane Extension will add an auxiliary lane along I-285 between Roswell Road and Riverside Drive as well as the replacement of the I-285/Mount Vernon Highway bridge. Construction is anticipated to begin in early 2023 and the project is anticipated to reach substantial completion in late 2024.

The I-285/Peachtree Industrial Boulevard Interchange Improvements will combine the I-285 Westbound exit ramps to Peachtree Industrial Boulevard north and south, while adjusting the horizontal curve of the north exit ramp to reduce bottleneck from I-285. Construction began earlier this year and is scheduled to reach substantial completion in 2023.

The I-285 Eastside Bridge Replacements will replace and extend two overpass bridges to accommodate future I-285 Eastside Express Lanes (Covington Highway over I-285, Redwing Circle over I-285, and Glenwood Road over I-285). Construction began earlier this year, and the project is scheduled to reach substantial completion in 2023.

The SR 400 Phase 1 DB project will replace three bridges – Pitts Road, Roberts Drive, and Kimball Bridge Road – with a raised profile to accommodate the future express lanes. Additionally, multiuse paths will be incorporated into the new bridges. This project was pulled forward as part of the phased delivery of the planned SR 400 Express Lanes project to leverage a portion of the $184 million INFRA grant Georgia DOT received to relieve congestion along this corridor. Construction is anticipated to start in early 2023 with a substantial completion expected in 2025.

“Georgia DOT strives to deliver infrastructure improvements as soon as practically possible to meet community need and deliver positive benefits to drivers and transit users. These major projects are recognized as innovative ways to address congestion, add capacity, mitigate bottlenecks, and help Georgia remain the No. 1 state to do business,” McMurry said. “It remains the Department’s goal to deliver the nation’s most responsive and innovative transportation solutions that improve our quality of life.”

The Major Mobility Investment Program (MMIP) is a grouping of large-scale projects expected to yield a significant reduction in congestion along key freight and passenger corridors. The projects will create additional capacity, improve the movement of freight, provide operational improvements and efficiencies, enhance safety, and decrease travel times. More information on the MMIP is located at https://majormobilityga.com/.

More information about the I-285 Advanced Improvement projects can be found at https://majormobilityga.com/advancedprojects/ and the SR 400 Phase 1 DB project at https://0001757-sr400-phase1db-gdot.hub.arcgis.com/.