Latest news with #NatalieDale
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
GDOT, Atlanta will have repaving projects happening at the same time this summer
When the weather warms up, paving and road construction season ramps up. But this year is a little bit different. Channel 2's Steve Gehlbach learned that the Georgia Department of Transportation and the Atlanta Department of Transportation will both have major pavement projects happening at the same time. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] 'This summer we are having really a super-charged paving season. A lot of that is due to the pavement condition that we have,' said GDOT spokeswoman Natalie Dale. Channel 2 Action News has reported on parts of metro Atlanta interstates have been crumbling in recent years. Drivers can be prepared for pretty much every major interstate in metro Atlanta getting resurfaced this summer. 'I-285 on the eastside, on the westside. We have downtown connector paving, I-20 paving, 75, 85, as well as some smaller state routes.' GDOT wants world-class pavement for the 2026 FIFA World Cup coming to Atlanta and other big events. It's the same reason the city is also repaving most of its downtown areas this summer. 'But the truth is if you stay ready, you don't have to get ready,' Atlanta City Councilmember Marci Collier Overstreet said. The city council approved $120 million for downtown resurfacing totaling 25 miles. '…really hitting our mandates. We're finally delivering these capital projects and it's time," Overstreet said. TRENDING STORIES: CSX train partially derails near Cobb County neighborhood, middle school Motel at center of trafficking ring shut down; other residents left searching for place to stay Buc-ee's announces opening date for new Georgia location While GDOT works overnights and opening lanes during the day, the surface streets will be opposite. 'Work will take place primarily during daylight hours. As always, ATLDOT will continue to coordinate with GDOT to minimize traffic disruptions wherever possible,' the city wrote in a statement. Repaving starts in the next couple of weeks by the end of May, but ramps up quickly. 'We peak during those June, July, August months,' Dale said. 'But this will last into September, October depending on schedule and temperatures.' GDOT encourage drivers to be patient and check its new website dedicated to summer resurfacing. You can also call 511 for the latest updates. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
New kind of interchange opening at North Druid Hills and I-85 this weekend
Construction has wrapped up on a new type of interchange in DeKalb County that will open to drivers this weekend. The new displaced left turn opens at North Druid Hills and Interstate 85. The new elevated bridge and ramps adds two lanes over the interstate and is the first in metro Atlanta. [DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks] Drivers have watched construction clogging things up as more traffic is added from the growth of Brookhaven, nearby Emory and the new Arthur M. Blank Hospital. 'It would help though cause there's a lot of traffic out here…anything will help,' driver Terrell Flinch said. The displaced left turn allows left-turning traffic from Druid Hills getting onto I-85 to move over the bridge on the roadway without stopping. The Georgia Department of Transportation says it creates fewer conflict points, less congestion and lowers the risk of crashes. 'So as you're turning left, you have oncoming traffic coming at you. That creates collisions. That creates backup on the bridge for those who are queuing up to take the left. It can sometime extend the bridge through the next signalized intersection,' GDOT spokeswoman Natalie Dale said. TRENDING STORIES: NTSB warns of dangerous bridges as part of Key Bridge investigation Atlanta man held by Taliban for 2 years reunites with his wife in the U.S. Which restaurant chains are seeing the biggest price increases? The two traffic signals at two intersections will become one, just further back, as left-turning cars shift to the dedicate lane and cross over before the bridge. The decision point for drivers to get into the two left-hand turn lanes comes earlier and GDOT says there will be a learning curve. 'But you'll see how seamless it is and how much easier it is to make that transition from westbound to southbound,' Dale said. GDOT says the displaced left turn should open by 11 a.m. Saturday but one of the workers said it could happen sometime overnight. [SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
