Traffic shifts, pacing on Interstate 75N next week

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — Contractors for the Georgia Dept. of Transportation (GDOT) will continue construction activities related to the I-16/I-75 Interchange Improvement Project next week in Macon-Bibb County.  Weather permitting, the scheduled activities beginning Monday, August 31 through Sunday, September 6 are listed below.

Traffic Shifts, Traffic Pacing beginning 9:00 p.m. Sunday, August 30 through 5:00 a.m. on Thursday, September 3:

Overnight traffic shifts will direct all I-75 northbound traffic in the project area onto newly constructed lanes. Intervals of traffic pacing by police will accompany these shifts to slow traffic speeds through the area. Message boards and signage will direct drivers as they approach the traffic shifts; motorists are advised to reduce speeds and drive carefully through the area.

• Beginning 9:00 p.m. on Sunday, from just south of Hardeman Avenue, I-75 northbound traffic heading towards I-16 eastbound will be shifted right onto the newly constructed I-75 northbound lanes. I-75 northbound traffic heading towards I-75 northbound will stay in the current left lane.
• Beginning 9:00 p.m. on Wednesday, from just south of Hardeman Avenue, the remaining left lane of I-75 northbound traffic heading towards I-75 northbound will be shifted onto the newly constructed I-75 northbound lanes.
• The newly constructed Hardeman Avenue entrance ramp to I-75 northbound will open to traffic.

Ongoing, Long-term Closures:

• The dedicated right turn lane on the I-16 eastbound off-ramp to Spring Street, which will remain closed through the spring of 2021.
• The permanent lane closure on Coliseum Drive/Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard southbound between Clinton Street to Riverside Drive; southbound traffic in that area is currently reduced to one lane.
• The far right lane of I-75 northbound at the Georgia 19/Georgia Avenue exit (exit 164) is closed to traffic for several months.
• Spring Street’s far right lane at the I-16 westbound on-ramp as well as the right-hand on-ramp to I-16 westbound are both closed for several months; the Spring Street on-ramp to I-16 westbound has been relocated to the far left lane.

The I-16/I-75 Interchange Improvements Project is a $500 million safety and mobility megaproject. With its massive scope to widen and reconstruct I-16, I-75 and their interchange in Macon-Bibb County, this project is being delivered in seven design and construction phases that will continue through 2026.  When complete, new CD lanes, additional interstate lanes, new interstate on-and off-ramps, upgrades to 11 bridges, new walls, upgraded drainage systems, etc. will deliver safer and improved mobility for Macon-Bibb County’s local commuters and businesses, regional travelers and commercial freight from the Georgia southern coast to destinations within the state and throughout the U.S.