Travels Tuesday: Georgia DOT awards $76.4 million dollar contract for I-75 CD system in Clayton County

Concept signage guide for I-75 collector distributor lanes (Georgia DOT photo)
Concept photo for future road signage along I-75 northbound approach to collector-distributor system
Advance road signage will help motorists navigate the CD system. (Georgia DOT photo)

A major project to widen and reconstruct portions of I-75 northbound in Clayton County will soon break ground after Georgia DOT awarded the project’s construction in May. The $76,413,231.79 contract was awarded to Archer Western Construction, LLC of Atlanta, GA.

The project will install a collector-distributor system on I-75 northbound between state route 331 (exit 237) and I-285 (exit 238A-B) near Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. The project will also construct a new bridge and reconfigure the interstate on-ramps for SR 85 and Forest Parkway.

An excerpt from the federal highway administration states “the introduction of collector-distributor (C-D) roads…use[s] auxiliary lanes separated from the freeway mainline so that local entering and exiting traffic will avoid conflicts with through traffic. A C-D system reduces weaving movements on the mainline while minimizing entrance and exit points on the through lanes.”

The project proposes to build new CD lanes alongside I-75 northbound for a distance of approximately 2.0 miles between Forest Parkway and I-285. Other improvements planned include “reconfiguration of the Forest Parkway at I-75 Interchange ramps and the I-285 at I-75 Interchange ramps, operational improvements to the I-75 corridor between Forest Parkway and I-285, and reconfiguration of the Frontage Road along the east side of I-75” (Georgia DOT).

Once complete, the project will reduce weave sections and conflict zones for traffic entering I-75 northbound from either SR 85 or Forest Parkway and traffic exiting from I-75 northbound to I-285. These improvements will address safety concerns, reduce the number of crashes within the study area, and improve operations along the mainline of I-75.

The contractor has 760 days to compete the project. The estimated completion date is June 1, 2021. A high resolution concept layout of the project is available on the GDOT website.

Travels Tuesday looks at upcoming transportation projects close to Henry County and throughout the state of Georgia. A separate project to build collector-distributor lanes along I-75 southbound is budgeted for construction in 2029.

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Clayton Carte is the founder and owner of MHF News. He founded the site in 2017 to highlight transportation projects. Over time, he began covering other topics like new development so residents can best know what’s happening in our community.