Atlanta

[architect77]

With the rate of Sprawl, Atlanta needs to emulate the new super beltway that the Houston area has. I know cats from Temple (west), Rome (Northwest), Braselton (NE) and Perry (Far South) who commute to Atlanta on a daily basis. A super beltway would need to serve these cities. This is a super pipedream and will never happen before 2050

A new, rural alignment for i-75  West of the metro would be helpful to remove the Florida-bound traffic from mixing with local traffic. It could be built relatively cheaply along the Alabama border and rejoining existing I-75 South of the metro.

A super beltway though by definition wouldn't help the towns you mention as it wouldn't get them closer to Atlanta. Its circumference would be so large that only out-of-staters bypassing the whole metro area would benefit. That would be nice though.

I do think that another East-West highway is needed to supplement I-285, but there would be opposition as you get closer to the mountains. GA-20 would be a nice candidate, but people are already opposed to widening it for more throughput of traffic.

A new I-75 bypass though would remove 40,000 or more vehicles a day from Atlanta's local traffic.

It will be interesting to see how many trucks pay to use the 285 top end Express Lanes if they are allowed to use them.

[Tom958]

More 285-400 detour follies:

There's a new detour for 400 southbound that combines the Abernathy Road and Hammond Drive exits onto a single offramp (won't that be permanent?). There's no EXIT ONLY notification, but the new offramp in fact bites off the right lane, leaving only three lanes on the mainline. The last BGS before the exit has a box along the bottom with the text, WITH RETURN ACCESS TO SR 400, similar in format to the NO RETURN ACCESS messages found at half-diamond interchanges like this one. The intent is clearly similar to that of the THRU TRAFFIC OK messages I've seen in California. I wonder if the California verbiage would be more effective, or if anyone suggested it (the sign design part of the contractor team is from Texas).

The new offramp is one lane, and it soon branches. In the gore is a neat sign for

Abernathy Road --->

<---SOUTH 400
Hammond Drive

which is pretty straightforward.

GDOT issued a schematic drawing of the detour for the elucidation of the public, but it didn't address how access from Abernathy Road to southbound 400 would be maintained. I say maintained because the onramp from Abernathy to 400 crosses under the CD that'd be carrying the detoured mainline lanes, right into the zone from which traffic was being removed. I'd suspected that the Abernathy onramp would join the mainline from the left, adding a fourth lane but requiring a good bit of lane changing for certain movements, including straight through on 400. What they actually did, though, was to have that return access ramp on the right provide the fourth mainline lane and require the Abernathy ramp to merge in from the left! I guess it's not really any worse than the decades-old eastbound 285 to northbound merge, but if I have to go that way, I'll get on 400 or 285 at a different interchange.

[Tomahawkin]

Drove through there yesterday. It's going to be a Cluster#### this week during rush hour with rain expected through Friday. I'm not really impressed with the so called progress. The traffic on both ramps to Ashford-Dunwoody road is still FUB'R. The DDI there is a band aid on a bullet wound...

[Tom958]

The new ramp from westbound 285 to southbound 400 is to open on or about March 20th. 

Doing this will allow the demolition of the current ramp, which for decades was the coolest-looking freeway bridge in Georgia. Not much of a distinction, I know.

[Tomahawkin]

Hopefully the last flyover ramp at this interchange will be done by Memorial day. Im curious to see where the HOT Lane expansion on 400 will take place because the sound barrier walls are directly next to the shoulder of the existing freeway. Also The Interchange construction at 400 and McGinnis Ferry Road has begun. 400 is going to really look like a Urban Freeway in 4 years or so

[Tom958]

Hopefully the last flyover ramp at this interchange will be done by Memorial day. Im curious to see where the HOT Lane expansion on 400 will take place because the sound barrier walls are directly next to the shoulder of the existing freeway. Also The Interchange construction at 400 and McGinnis Ferry Road has begun. 400 is going to really look like a Urban Freeway in 4 years or so

That is the last flyover ramp, and it's done enough to open... on the 26th, not the 20th. It was postponed again.

I heard scuttlebutt that GDOT is considering replacing the Spalding Road bridge over 400 after going to considerable lengths to preserve the original one. I've said it before, I'll say it again: I don't understand how GDOT decides which bridges to keep and which to replace. I'm not sure that they do, either.

[Tomahawkin]

The 285 EB to 400 North flyover ramp is still months away from completion. That was the last one, i was referring to, and I forgot to mention the Roswell road ramp to 285 which looks like it has been at a standstill for 2 years. Im also curious to see the 285 WB ramp to Peachtree-Dunwoody Rd ramp. I bleeping hate that intersection with 285

[Tomahawkin]

Watched the 400 Toll lanes video where they start at the Northridge MARTA Station and end south of Cumming. A lot of it will be elevated because land is at a premium. I'm taking the Over in 5 years of this project getting completed...

[adventurernumber1]

Watched the 400 Toll lanes video where they start at the Northridge MARTA Station and end south of Cumming. A lot of it will be elevated because land is at a premium. I'm taking the Over in 5 years of this project getting completed...

I'm looking forward to some more elevated toll lanes (another tollercoaster!). This will definitely be a cool project to see. 

[Tomahawkin]

I agree, and I hope they add overhead lighting to 400! its beyond me as to why freeways OTP Have little or no overhead lighting. IMO its one reason as to why there are so many wrecks/crashes during the overnight hours....

[architect77]

I agree, and I hope they add overhead lighting to 400! its beyond me as to why freeways OTP Have little or no overhead lighting. IMO its one reason as to why there are so many wrecks/crashes during the overnight hours....

You should issue your request to the towns that 400 pass through. They are the ones who pay for the lighting.

And why isn't Ga Power offering to convert existing freeway lighting to LED through Atlanta? It will pay for itself in savings. Ga Power finished converting all the other street lighting years ago.

[Tomahawkin]

The Bridge ramp from Roswell Road to 285 east has opened but man the merge between there and 400 exit ramp was hell @1045am. I can't imagine what it's like @ 5 in the afternoon. I'm not impressed with this interchange improvement so far. I rate it a C. It leaves a lot to be desired IMO, Especially with the traffic volume and number of employers who are relocating to the area...

[Georgia]

is the interchange done yet?
is the overall project it is a part of done yet?

i dont get how you can give a grade yet

[Tomahawkin]

The 285/20 Interchange project in Dekalb County is set to begin 14 months from now. Be prepared for 285 from IH 20 To US 78 to be under continuous construction as 4-6 of the Bridges will be replaced as well. This was 20 years overdue!

[Tom958]

The consortium led by Archer Western and including E. R. Snell has been chosen for I-20-285 east. IIRC, their design retains the long flyover for westbound 20 to westbound 285 and includes longer spans and fewer straddle bents for the flyovers in general.

https://reporternewspapers.net/2022/04/21/dot-board-picks-contractors-for-interstate-285-i-20-east-overhaul/

[wriddle082]

The consortium led by Archer Western and including E. R. Snell has been chosen for I-20-285 east. IIRC, their design retains the long flyover for westbound 20 to westbound 285 and includes longer spans and fewer straddle bents for the flyovers in general.

https://reporternewspapers.net/2022/04/21/dot-board-picks-contractors-for-interstate-285-i-20-east-overhaul/

Great.  Archer Western will do their best to stretch it out to five years or more.  They need Bell Construction to come down from Nashville and give them a run for their money!

[Tomahawkin]

This looks like the funds collected from the toll lanes are being put to use. IIRC I believe the HOV lanes on Both IH 75 and 85 will be converted to toll lanes sometime down the road?

[Tom958]

On Saturday I drove 285-400 for the first time since the new westbound 285 to southbound 400 ramp had been opened.  Here's the revised mainline signage, taken from the Perimeter Center Parkway bridge. As you can see, the signage indicates that three of the six lanes are dropped at the exits for 400 and Roswell Road. My intention when heading west on 285 was to exit at Roswell Road and double back east on 285, so I moved from lane five into lane four as the signage indicates. After the 400 exit, I saw that there was still a lane to my right which was headed to Roswell Road, and the lane I was in stayed on the 285 mainline. Thanks, GDOT. I realized what was going on in time, but how many others won't?

The sign will be correct when the 285 mainline is narrowed to three lanes, which is now supposedly planned for June. We'll see, I guess.




Also, the auxiliary lane on eastbound 285 between the Ashford Dunwoody onramp and the Chamblee Dunwoody offramp is now closed. The luxurious mile-long merge we've enoyed since the seventies is now a short, shoulderless taper. Surprise!

[Tomahawkin]

Nice pic and explanation. I need to check the 400 NB area near Abernathy. A DDI Is supposed to be under the 400 overpass. I'm wondering how in the hell are they going to fit 4 toll lanes north at the Sandy Springs MARTA station in the distant future?

[Tom958]

I'll just leave this here. It appears to cover the whole 316 corridor.

https://transformingsr316-gdot.hub.arcgis.com/?fbclid=IwAR1pkV1O9n7isaWxkQF_sBGLPxYE_DTLNR6Y5iDoHSGUChMkBi4p05bUiMM

Also, this morning there was a GDOT announcement of evening lane closures for the setting of beams on the new Covington Highway bridge over 285. I'm surprised and impressed that it's happened so quickly. The tops of the new bents are several feet higher than those of the old ones, so either there'll be some unusual type of beam to reduce the height, or Covington Highway will be raised by what I'd call a huge amount. We'll see soon enough, I guess.

[Tomahawkin]

Yeah, I'm amazed at the rate that they are getting the Covington HWY Bridge built. Hopefully they will replace the Bridges at Ponce, and Rockbridge Roads at the same rate. IMO There should be 2 added toll lanes in each direction instead of 1 on that section of 285 in Dekalb county...

[Tom958]

Yeah, I'm amazed at the rate that they are getting the Covington HWY Bridge built. Hopefully they will replace the Bridges at Ponce, and Rockbridge Roads at the same rate. IMO There should be 2 added toll lanes in each direction instead of 1 on that section of 285 in Dekalb county...

Two toll lanes per direction is the current plan, announced a few months ago. same on the west side.

[Georgia]

285/20 East Interchange was awarded this month.
Construction to start in 2023 and done by late 2026(so bank on 2027 at best)

From the project website
What is the Project?
The I-285/I-20 East Interchange Project will improve traffic
flow and safety at the busy I-285/I-20 East Interchange in
DeKalb County.

This project will:
-Construct new I-20 westbound (WB) to I-285
southbound (SB), I-20 westbound to I-285 northbound
(NB) and I-285 SB to I-20 eastbound (EB) ramps
-Widen the I-20 EB to I-285 northbound ramp from one
to two lanes
-Construct WB collector-distributor (CD) lanes*
between Wesley Chapel Road and I-285/I-20 East
Interchange
-Construct one WB auxiliary lane between Lithonia
Industrial Boulevard and Wesley Chapel Road**
-Construct one EB auxiliary lane from Panola Road to
Lithonia Industrial Boulevard
-Extend auxiliary lanes on I-285 NB
-Extend one auxiliary lane in the I-20 EB CD lanes to
the Wesley Chapel Road off-ramp
-Construct replacement bridges along I-20 to
accommodate the new auxiliary and CD lanes

[Tom958]

This project will:
-Construct WB collector-distributor (CD) lanes*
between Wesley Chapel Road and I-285/I-20 East
Interchange

Actually, it won't, unless there's been a change in the design. The ramps are braided and appear at a cursory glance to be a CD, but they're not. I found it disturbing that I had to explain this to a GDOT engineer at the public information meeting.

[Georgia]

I mean, i think at that point we are arguing semantics and terminology.
If you want to take 285 from 20WB, you are going to have to make that decision at Wesley Chapel and will have 2 to 3 lanes to drive on until you merge on 285. 

good news for the interchange is that bar 285 NB to 20EB all movements are multi-laned.