This weekend’s planned I-285 lane closure has been canceled because of the potential for inclement weather.
After a FIFA World Cup pause in construction, work was scheduled to resume this weekend on a stretch of the interstate. But a rainy forecast with the potential for thunderstorms has scuttled those plans.
This was to be the third full closure on I-285 in recent months, with several dozen more planned in the next three years as construction crews rebuild roughly 15 miles on the westside corridor — one of the most choked traffic bottlenecks in the country.
Construction crews are repairing and replacing pavement that’s in poor condition, in addition to replacing the shoulders, median barriers and guardrails.
Crews planned to shutdown north and southbound traffic on I-285 between Cascade Road and Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. A new date hasn’t been determined but the work will be rescheduled soon.
The National Weather Service says central Georgia could see rain and thunderstorm over the weekend, with an 80% chance of rain on Sunday. There’s also the potential for localized flash flooding and some strong thunderstorms.
A second closure is still planned for the following weekend, pending the weather forecast.
Starting at 7 p.m. Aug. 7, GDOT plans to shutdown north and southbound traffic between South Atlanta Road (Exit 16) and Paces Ferry Road (Exit 18).
Lanes will reopen at 5 a.m. Aug. 10.
The I-285 westside rehabilitation is estimated to cost $370 million across three projects spanning Fulton and Cobb counties. The full-lane closures should cut the westside construction time in half, from six to three years, GDOT officials have previously said.
It’s scheduled for completion in spring 2029.
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