If you travel I-985 North between Suwanee and Buford, get ready for traffic delays. The Georgia Department of Transportation will begin replacing concrete slabs in the road on March 19. The work will close the right northbound lane weekdays between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. through Friday, April 5.
In addition, crews will be grinding and striping that section of road at night. That work will result in more lane closures between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m. Sunday to Friday.
“We understand this will be inconvenient for the I-985 commuters with daytime and nighttime closures until the first week of April. However, the good news is after this project is completed the entire 96 miles from the Interstate 85 split to Jesse Jewell (Parkway) will be a brand new driving surface,” says GDOT Assistant District Engineer Brandon Kirby.
GDOT calls it an “extreme makeover” of the roadway’s surface. The agency says it includes work to smooth, increase skid resistance and reduce noise on the driving surface. After the grinding operations are complete, the driving surface will receive upgraded pavement markings and raised pavement markers.
State transportation officials encourage drivers to plan ahead for anticipated delays.
