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Published Sunday, November 15, 2009 in Opinion
Santa won't be delivering a completed Interstate 85 because of all the rain
Editorial
The recent heavy rains caused flooding in some areas. They also caused delays in outdoor work projects. Late last week, the Georgia DOT confirmed heavy rains have delayed construction on Interstate 85 in Coweta County.
The nearly three-year project to widen I-85 from the Fairburn/Peachtree City exit south though Coweta and into Meriwether County was to have been completed by the end of 2009. Now, DOT says the stretch from Bullsboro Drive (Exit 47) north to Collinsworth Road (Exit 56) will not be completed by Dec. 31. The rains are to blame.
DOT won't give a timetable for finishing this work. They say "work is progressing."
The work south of Bullsboro Drive to Meriwether is ahead of schedule and will be completed on schedule.
While the work delay from Exit 47 to Exit 56 is a bummer for motorists who travel through Coweta, certainly the project is winding down and we hope there's a sense of urgency by DOT contractors to complete the work.
Meanwhile, motorists must continue to be aware of lane shifts and lane closures during this final stretch of construction. You can expect delays. Much of the work remaining from Exit 47 to 56 is around the interchange on- and off-ramps. There are still great dangers exiting and entering the highway around these ramps.
We all need to continue to drive with care in the construction zones. When construction is complete, those 50 mph speed limits will disappear and we will have a smoother, safer ride on I-85 throughout the county.
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one side too low. pour concrete and its too high. grind up the other lanes, pour more concrete. that side is too high. tear it up repour and it's too low. etc. etc. no completion on a seesaw.
Posted by disgusted at 8:42 PM
"You can expect delays" Literally the motto of the Georgia DOT.
Posted by Ponsonby Britt at 9:52 AM
The longer the DOT delays the project, the more accidents we'll see. I deal with that mess twice a day, everyday. You can bet that when it rains starting Tuesday, traffic will be backed up for an hour or more because some moron was tailgating and rear-ended the car in front of him/her. Emergency crews can't easily move the cars out of the way because there are concrete barriers and/or one of the "new" lanes will not be complete yet. So GDOT....I dedicate my 2 hour commute (which should only be 1) on Tuesday to you and all the other incompetent gov't employees.
Posted by Roekest at 9:36 AM
I'm still shaking my head in amazement at the lies and mis-leading statements made by DOT during the GA 34 east widening project from Thomas Cross-roads to the county line. The engineer on that project took a set of calipers to a map of Georgia and used the original highway as a guide to follow the same contours to make the divided highway. So much for making a road safer by straightening it out. Oh yes, what about the dynamiting at Shoal Creek for the bridge when DOT told Sen Seabaugh that no dynamiting would be needed. Or, what about the wetland that DOT said didn't exist in the area of Willow Lake? Drivers on I-85 are getting what they deserved from the elected leadership responsible for the DOT.
Posted by coweta cur-mudgeon at 9:05 PM
"Sense of urgency" by DOT contractors??? Thanks, I just fell out of my chair laughing!
Posted by rw at 6:02 PM
And no rain for the first couple years didn't get them ahead of schedule?
Posted by Skip at 3:41 PM
My understanding from one of the contract supervisors is that the Feds came in and "wanted to look over the project". They delayed it weeks because they can...due to fed funds involved. Isnt our system great? So much for all these "shovel ready" projects and banks lending again...empty promises that affect every one of us, including commuters now.
Posted by j at 12:33 PM
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Never going to end
11/20/2009
Link To This Comment
I drive to Forest Park everyday to work at all times of the night. They are doing construction all day long. Including 3 am like last night. Also in the sun, rain, etc....
This is never going to end. This is a way the our county can earn money. Today going to work I saw 4 different cops pulling someone over. A little extreme I think
Posted by Friendly neighbor at 12:04 AM