$800 million Georgia DOT interchange construction in Atlanta

Since February of 2017, Atlanta's major interstate I-285 has been under major reconstruction through the Georgia Department of Transportation. The 5-phase project lifecycle was designed to reduce traffic congestion and enhance safety within one of the nation's most deadly roads, the I-285/SR 400 Interchange in Metro Atlanta.

More than 2 million pedestrians use the roadway that circles the city of Atlanta daily. In 2013 data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration noted the stretch of just under 75 miles of I-285 recorded 26 fatal accidents in the year of study and 29 deaths, giving it a rate of 3.5 fatal accidents per 10 miles.

This project will reconstruct 3 overhead bridgeways, and Abernathy Road / SR 400 interchange will be redesigned to a diverging diamond interchange. Funding is provided by a combination of state, federal, and private partner financing. Local contributions from community organizations include $10 million from the PCIDs and $1 million each from the PATH Foundation and the City of Sandy Springs for bicycle and pedestrian enhancements. The Georgia DOT combined two stand-alone projects into one Design-Build-Finance at an estimated project cost of $800 million.

Now in construction phase, North Perimeter Contractors (NPC), a private sector partner of the GDOT, is responsible for the design, contracting, and partial financing of the reconstruction mega project. NPC contracted established deep foundations Berkel & Company to oversee the foundation stabilization drilling. To install 15'-20' rock anchors into the side wall barriers of the I-285 interstate, Berkel utilized an ICE® Comacchio MC 22 Drill Rig, specialized for anchor drilling. With a feed and retract force of 17,984 / 22,480 lb. the hydraulic crawler-mounted drill rig is operating using air rotary and down-the-hole hammer (DTH) drilling methods. Covering 4.3 miles long and 6.2 miles wide, construction on the I-285 / SR 400 interchange will take place through the end of 2022. This high priority project will produce new flyover ramps, collector-distributor lanes, and other provisions to moderate traffic.