I-285/I-20 East interchange overhaul to move forward at cost of $685.5 million (Atlanta: taxes, build)

[bu2]

Originally Posted by JMatl

They're both bad, but the Westside is worse.

I have never found any significant traffic on I-20 West. I-20 East is almost always backed up. Both sections of 285 have problems.

[JMatl]

Originally Posted by bu2

I have never found any significant traffic on I-20 West. I-20 East is almost always backed up. Both sections of 285 have problems.

Funny, it's always a huge mess when I have to go out that way.

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally Posted by bu2

No. The I-20 East/285 intersection design is fatally flawed as is. Lots and lots of accidents.

Originally Posted by JMatl

They're both bad, but the Westside is worse.

Originally Posted by bu2

I have never found any significant traffic on I-20 West. I-20 East is almost always backed up. Both sections of 285 have problems.

Originally Posted by JMatl

Funny, it's always a huge mess when I have to go out that way.

At the I-285/I-20 West interchange (where there seems to be almost too many problems to list), the biggest problems seem to be:

> The transition ramp from I-285 southbound to I-20 westbound, which often backs up traffic (including extremely heavy freight truck traffic) in the far-right lanes of I-285 southbound for at least a mile or more in advance of the I-20 westbound exit during afternoon/evening rush hour. The I-285 SB to I-20 WB ramp is too short in length and is too narrow in width (only one lane that has to quickly merge with the ramp from I-285 NB to I-20 WB)...

> The short transition loop ramp from I-20 eastbound to I-285 northbound, which often slows down and backs up traffic on I-20 EB for a significant distance in advance of the I-285 interchange during morning rush hour.

The transition ramp from I-285 northbound to I-20 westbound is also a problem because it exits from the high-speed far-left lane of I-285 northbound.

And further complicating matters for all traffic transitioning from both directions of I-285 to I-20 westbound are two hills on I-20 westbound west of I-285 (one just west of I-285, and the other being an even larger hill further west on I-20 on the west side of the Chattahoochee River in the Six Flags area) that large freight trucks often may experience some challenges climbing... Which the slowing of freight truck traffic to have to climb those hills (along with I-20 westbound motorists sometimes being blinded by the angle of the sun at certain times of year) often further slows down I-20 westbound traffic.

The transition ramp that exits from the left lane of I-20 westbound and merges into the left lane of I-285 southbound, and the transition ramp that exits from the left lane of I-285 southbound to I-20 eastbound both probably also need to be corrected.

Meanwhile, the biggest problems at the I-285/I-20 East interchange seem to be:

> The loop transition ramp from I-20 westbound to I-285 southbound that often may slowdown traffic on I-20 westbound in advance of the I-285 interchange during morning rush hour, and...

> The flyover transition ramp from I-285 southbound to I-20 eastbound that includes a very sharp left-hand curve where many freight truck accidents seem to occur from driving too fast through that sharp curve that seems to need more warning indicators in the form of flashing yellow lights and numerous rumble strips.

[cranberrysaus]

Originally Posted by Born 2 Roll

At the I-285/I-20 West interchange (where there seems to be almost too many problems to list), the biggest problems seem to be:

> The transition ramp from I-285 southbound to I-20 westbound, which often backs up traffic (including extremely heavy freight truck traffic) in the far-right lanes of I-285 southbound for at least a mile or more in advance of the I-20 westbound exit during afternoon/evening rush hour. The I-285 SB to I-20 WB ramp is too short in length and is too narrow in width (only one lane that has to quickly merge with the ramp from I-285 NB to I-20 WB)...

> The short transition loop ramp from I-20 eastbound to I-285 northbound, which often slows down and backs up traffic on I-20 EB for a significant distance in advance of the I-285 interchange during morning rush hour.

The transition ramp from I-285 northbound to I-20 westbound is also a problem because it exits from the high-speed far-left lane of I-285 northbound.

And further complicating matters for all traffic transitioning from both directions of I-285 to I-20 westbound are two hills on I-20 westbound west of I-285 (one just west of I-285, and the other being an even larger hill further west on I-20 on the west side of the Chattahoochee River in the Six Flags area) that large freight trucks often may experience some challenges climbing... Which the slowing of freight truck traffic to have to climb those hills (along with I-20 westbound motorists sometimes being blinded by the angle of the sun at certain times of year) often further slows down I-20 westbound traffic.

My experiences exactly. The current interchange isn't built to handle the huge volume of freight traffic that passes through there. And those single lane hairpin ramps slow everything down for miles.

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally Posted by cranberrysaus

My experiences exactly. The current interchange isn't built to handle the huge volume of freight traffic that passes through there. And those single lane hairpin ramps slow everything down for miles.

The irony is that the current I-285/I-20 East interchange is considered to be an upgrade over the interchange that was there before being reconstructed in the 1980’s.

The previous I-285/I-20 East interchange featured two left-hand exits off of I-285 to both directions of I-20 (a left-hand exit from I-285 northbound to I-20 eastbound, and a left-hand exit from I-285 southbound to I-20 eastbound).

The current transition ramp from I-285 southbound to I-20 eastbound that flies over I-285 after a sharp left-hand curve was still there, but as a dangerous single-lane left-hand exit off of I-285 southbound.

The I-285/I-20 West interchange is basically the same exact interchange that was originally built in the 1960’s. The only improvements have been the widening of the I-20 and I-285 roadways through the interchange and the addition of a transition ramp from the I-20 WB to I-285 SB transition ramp to the I-285 SB to GA-139 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive off-ramp in the late 1970’s.

[Born 2 Roll]

GDOT (the Georgia Department of Transportation) is alerting motorists about temporary lane closures connected to what will be one of the biggest road projects in both DeKalb County and Georgia state history.

Major work on the I-285/I-20 East interchange reconstruction project is expected to begin this spring or summer, but GDOT is closing some lanes for additional soil testing this week before construction can move forward.

DeKalb County police says between 2016 and 2021, there was over 3,000 vehicle accidents and 110 fatalities at the intersection.

In May, GDOT Commissioner Russell McMurry said the changes would “reduce freight delays and crashes, and also improve the safety of this entire area.”

Construction for the first part of the plan is expected to last until 2026. DeKalb CEO Thurmond told Channel 2 that the money and efforts will be worth it.

Lane closures set before major construction project begins on deadliest interchange in Georgia (WSB-TV Atlanta)

[bethereds82]

Is it just me or does $680MM+ and 3 years to complete seem a little excessive?
I don't know enough about construction costs, but my goodness. Both the cost and timeline seem absurd.

[Datdudebrah]

Originally Posted by bethereds82

Is it just me or does $680MM+ and 3 years to complete seem a little excessive?
I don't know enough about construction costs, but my goodness. Both the cost and timeline seem absurd.

It'll be worse than that, they'll start on the I-285 East express lanes by the time this interchange is done...

That's the deal with infrastructure projects though.

[cparker73]

Originally Posted by bethereds82

Is it just me or does $680MM+ and 3 years to complete seem a little excessive?
I don't know enough about construction costs, but my goodness. Both the cost and timeline seem absurd.

If we go by the cost and timeline of the GA 400/285 interchange project, I'd say we're coming out ahead. Construction on 400 started in 2017 and was projected to cost $800 million and complete by Q4 2022. With Covid delays and whatever else, I'm sure it's well over $1B now and still not done six years later.

[Columbus1984]

Hopefully this project goes smoother than the 400 debacle.