If you’ve driven down I-20 between Bremen and Villa Rica in the past year or so, chances are you have not only encountered a few potholes along the way, but you’ve also encountered the new construction zone aiming to fix that problem. There’s been a lot of speculation as to what is happening on this stretch of roadway, so we went directly to the source at the Georgia Department of Transportation.
According to GDOT District Six Communications Officer, Dr. Mohamed Arafa, the 12.7 mile project between US 27/SR 1 at Exit 11 and SR 61 at Exit 24 aims to do the following:
- Rehabilitate the existing roadway to preserve the integrity of the interstate,
- Enhance the safety of the traveling public by upgrading the existing guardrail to current standards and clearing vegetation according to current guidelines, and
- Improve mobility by the replacement of deteriorating concrete and reconstructing the shoulders of this stretch of roadway.
“As you may very well know, Interstate 20 in Carroll County carries very heavy traffic and that traffic takes a toll on the concrete pavement,” says Dr. Arafa. “For example, I-20 at Martha Berry Hwy/US 27 carries about 40,130 vehicles per day. The average daily traffic on I-20 at State Route 113/ Temple-Carrollton Road is 35,456 vehicles, while the traffic count on I-20 at SR 61/Industrial Boulevard amounts to 38,530 vehicles per day.”
Work on this project will occur in two sections with seven stages for each. Construction has been underway since October 1 between Bremen and Temple. Once that section is complete, construction will move to the section between Temple and Villa Rica. Most of the work is being completed at night and on weekends to minimize the impact of construction-related traffic interruptions.
“[The] project is on schedule. It is currently about 25%-30% complete The entire project is expected to be completed by the end of October 2019, at a construction cost of a little over $80 million,” stated Dr. Arafa.
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