Buckle your seat belt. Road improvements and the accompanying lane closures on Interstate 985 begin Wednesday night and will expand to include daytime closures next week.
Nighttime work will run from Exit 12 at Spout Springs Road to Exit 20 at Queen City Parkway in both directions from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. on weekdays starting Wednesday. These closures should last for about three months, weather-permitting, according to the Georgia Department of Transportation.
Daytime lane closures in both directions begin Monday from the I-85/I-985 interchange through the Falcon Parkway overpass in Flowery Branch. Those closures will run from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday for about five months, weather-permitting.
Both of those portions of I-985 will have work move northward from their starting points, starting on the northbound side of I-985, according to DOT.
Work on the part of the road where I-985 turns into Ga. 365/U.S. 23 will have work for 8 miles up through its intersection with Ga. 52, which may start by late August. It is likely to be night work, according to the DOT.
Damaged concrete slabs will be replaced on I-985. Another project involves striping and painting turn arrows on all of the interstate’s exit ramps.
DOT district spokeswoman Katie Strickland said no concrete slabs were identified in a December investigation as needing replacement from Exit 20 up through where I-985 turns into Ga. 365/U.S. 23, but if such spots are discovered during this work, they will be replaced.
Strickland said each direction will shift to just one lane whenever work is being done and that workers will make roughly 2-mile lane closures at a time.
The Georgia Department of Transportation is urging drivers to leave earlier and not be distracted by their phones.
“Motorists are advised to reduce speeds as they travel through this work zone,” according to a DOT press release. “Message signs, barrels and cones will be utilized to alert the public of the upcoming changes. Drivers should be aware that personnel and equipment will be operating in close proximity to travel lanes.”
Strickland said the last time concrete slab replacement was performed on I-985 was in the summer of 2014 on the northbound right lane. She added that all of the interstate work timetables could be pushed back by weather.