The end is in sight for construction of Macon’s interstate interchange but new traffic patterns and detours lie ahead while work is expected to conclude before the end of this decade.
The final phase of the Georgia Department of Transportation’s nearly $600M project that began in 2017 will likely be bid out for construction late this summer and will take about three years to complete.
In the interim, ongoing work on Interstate 16 means motorists traveling from southbound Interstate 75 soon won’t be able to exit on Spring Street for about six months.
The Spring Street exit coming from I-75 northbound will remain open during this time, according to GDOT representatives.
Phase 6 that completes the project adds lanes and rebuilds bridges from the I-16/I-75 interchange to Pierce Avenue, that stretch that currently narrows to two lanes over railroad tracks.
“It’ll kind of complete that puzzle,” said Tyler Peek, GDOT’s district engineer for this region. Peek briefed the Middle Georgia Regional Commission on the status of the “transformative project” during its May meeting.
“Think about I-75 and the number of people around the country that travel through the state of Georgia, they’re coming through Macon. If you’re headed to or from the port in terms of freight travel, you’re coming through Macon,” Peek said. “So, while it may not be the most expensive project in the state of Georgia, it is definitely one that touches a lot of people’s lives on a regular basis.”
Tim Golden, District 8’s representative on the State Transportation Board, said he remembers how dangerous it used to be when merging onto I-16 westbound from Coliseum Drive and quickly having to cross all lanes of traffic to exit to I-75 southbound.
When Golden was caught in construction traffic on a trip to Atlanta, he appreciated the opportunity to pause and take a good look at all the work that was going on around him. He marvels at how engineers have been able to keep those main arteries flowing since construction began in 2017.
“It’s an amazing thing to watch how somebody could plan this and build this project. It’s simply been amazing,” Golden said.
GDOT’s interchange redesign includes 40 new bridges including those going over the railroad tracks in Phase 6.
The first two of the seven construction phases are finished.
Phase 1 involved building new lanes on I-75 in both directions closest to the interchange and on I-16 east from its origin to Coliseum Drive and MLK Jr. Blvd. That phase also included the new Otis Redding Bridge over the Ocmulgee River on MLK.
Phase 1B, which is also complete, built the new Linear Park and improvements in the Pleasant Hill neighborhood, which was split by the initial highway construction in the 60s.
Four other phases are currently under construction, including Phases 3 and 4 that are 95% complete.
That work encompasses I-75 lanes in both directions from the interchange south to Hardeman Avenue, new bridges over Walnut Street, Riverside Drive and the pedestrian bridge, and new noise barriers.
Phases 4 and 5 are 75% complete and involve I-16 in both directions from I-75 to beyond Coliseum Drive, including rebuilding the Second Street bridge with new eastbound exit and entrance ramps making the interstate accessible from the heart of downtown Macon.
In the coming weeks and months, Peek expects I-16 westbound access to reopen from MLK and lane realignments to occur from I-75 to I-16 eastbound.
Late spring or early summer is when access to the Spring Street exit will close temporarily from southbound I-75, Peek said.
“Don’t anybody be concerned that we won’t be opening that back up,” he cautioned. “We will try to shorten that time, if possible, but six months is what we estimate.”
Peek praised Gov. Brian Kemp and the Georgia General Assembly for stepping up funding of Phase 6 to allow construction to begin later this year instead of waiting an additional two years which would draw out the project even longer.
New I-16 bridges, paving MLK/Broadway
To the east of the interchange construction, GDOT also is replacing four sets of bridges between I-16 exits two and six.
“These are separate projects from the interchange,” Peek said. “So I want to point that out, because they’re close, kind of guilt by association, right? But they are separate projects to replace bridge infrastructure.”
Peek also expects the bridge construction to wrap up by the end of the decade when the I-16/I-75 project is coming to a close.
Also this summer, GDOT plans to repave Bibb County portions of Ga. Hwy 11, which is known by different names from the new roundabout at Ga. Hwy 247 and Pio Nono, up Broadway, to MLK and eventually into Jones County.
Road resurfacing is expected to begin this summer at about the same time as the Spring Street exit detour will be in effect from southbound I-75.
Peek told the regional commission that GDOT will be mindful of the other ongoing projects during this time.
“What we try to do is, if there’s overlaps in projects, try to work where there’s not detours and lane closures all happening at the same time with two different projects,” he said. “So we have the same team that’s overseeing that, and can make sure that coordination is thought out in advance.”
With all the projects GDOT has underway and others still in the planning stages, like the widening of Bass Road, Middle Georgia Regional Commission Chair James A. “Bubber” Epps Jr. invited Peek and Golden to present the status of the interchange to the regional organization composed of leaders from 11 midstate counties.
“They say if you travelled through Georgia since 2017, you know the impacts and evidence of this project. And if you traveled before that time, you know there was a tremendous need for this project. So given the size and the scope, I think it’s a great benefit that you’ve shared this information with us about all that has been accomplished, what lies ahead in the next five years.”
— Civic Journalism Senior Fellow Liz Fabian covers Macon-Bibb County government entities for The Macon Newsroom and can be reached at [email protected] or 478-301-2976.
