No one is pretending like the new eight-month, multi-lane closure on I-285 both ways between Roswell Road (Exit 25) and Ashford Dunwoody (Exit 29) is going to be rosy. The entire lane shift, reduction in both directions will be in place by Saturday night, October 21st. The I-285/eastbound (Inner Loop) shift went into place on October 9th and have largely worked well.

But these long-term lane closures will eventually switch in about four months to the right lanes. This allows North Perimeter Contractors (NPC) to rebuild the I-285 bridge decks over Glenridge Drive, GA-400, and Peachtree Dunwoody Road, in conjunction with the other major expansions in the project.

The AJC’s Bill Torpy detailed the setbacks that have delayed this monumental project by almost two years. GDOT now predicts Transform I-285/GA-400 will not be complete until the second half of 2023, capped off by a massive resurfacing project on the Northside Perimeter next year.

GDOT Commissioner Russell McMurry told Smilin’ Mark McKay and me on the most recent WSB Traffic Podcast that lane-repaving will start back as far east as Spaghetti Junction (I-85) likely by next summer, as these bridge rebuilds conclude.

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These particular bridge rebuild-shutdowns have been delayed over a year, as the state waited for NPC to open new ramps and collector-distributor (CD) lanes to handle the displaced capacity from the main I-285 lanes. The state also wanted the final placement of the revamped exit ramps to be set before this massive closure began.

GDOT spokesperson Natalie Dale told the AJC that the state is committed to keeping at least three I-285 lanes open each way during the day, but the area could become more restricted at night, as many already experience.

Atlantans, brace yourselves. Out-of-towners, know that Atlanta’s bypass may need bypassing, at times.

Here are some tips on navigating “I-285 Gridlock: Game of Cones.”

Learn the topography of new ramps

One of the biggest gripes in this Dunwoody-Sandy Springs work zone is the confusing placement and signage of new ramps. The main goal of this project has been to force local traffic to exit earlier, keeping travelers of longer distances moving at a higher pace, preventing the late exits and weaves from drivers and mitigating backed up exit ramps.

But these newer, longer exit ramps start sometimes as much as a mile before they used to, confusing drivers to no end.

Before jumping into the traffic chop suey, study a map of your route and find where you need to exit. Given that traffic moves slower on this stretch now, missing an exit and driving miles out of the way will be even more difficult.

The ramps’ earlier beginnings also mean drivers can exit I-285 and enter it outside of where the main closures are, though the delays will go back before the lane-blockages.

Know your alternates…and the alternates to them

The goal of any alternate route is not to remove all traffic from the main, afflicted road. Taking alternates relieves the pressure on the main road and that method is the medicine for this eight-month, popup zoo on I-285.

The biggest I-285 alternates around this zone are in Downtown Atlanta. Take I-85/southbound to I-75/northbound, north of the Downtown Connector, to avoid I-285/westbound (Outer Loop) delays.

Bypass I-285/eb (Inner Loop) closures by doing the reverse: I-75/southbound to I-85/northbound.

The problem with these interstate alternates is that each of these ramps in the Brookwood interchange are single-lane. They will back up extremely quickly, as they do whenever there is a problem on I-285.

Depending on trajectory and starting points, drivers can take Mount Vernon Road/Highway from Dunwoody to Sandy Springs. Johnson Ferry, full as it is, also cuts diagonally from Chamblee to East Cobb.

Traveling a short distance in Sandy Springs could mean that following Perimeter Center West/Abernathy Road between Ashford Dunwoody and Roswell Road is a good idea. Another local trip on narrow Windsor Parkway can channel traffic the same distance, inside I-285.

But the smaller the street, the worse the route. Neighborhoods will be inundated with traffic, undoubtedly, but tractor trailers, other large vehicles, and people with destinations outside of this zone need to stick to the freeways. That is far safer and more reliable, despite the delays.

GA-400 drivers will actually have the fortune of taking long flyover ramps onto I-285 that merge them in ahead of where these lanes are blocked. So while GA-400 will be slow, it will offer some relief in the area.

Patience is a virtue

There may be several alternates on this stretch, but every adjacent road to this area will be packed. They just will. People have to accept reality and change their mindset; just about everyone in that traffic has the same goal.

With I-285 already being a narrow work zone - and now having less lanes - there will be more incidents and they will be harder to clear. This will just compound the delays on I-285/eastbound east of I-75 (Exit 20) in Cobb and I-285/westbound west of I-85 (Exit 33) in DeKalb.

Once I-285 backs up to those joints, expect I-75 and I-85, especially on the southbound sides, to be especially slow. GA-400/southbound already is a bear when trying to ramp to I-285/westbound (Exit 4) - that single right lane will stay heavy, though it won’t merge with I-285 until after the lane closures.

And, as mentioned before, this means the southbound rides on GA-400, I-75, and I-85 inside the Perimeter will be really rough into Downtown Atlanta.

Remote-working and MARTA need consideration

Many jobs found a way to function virtually during the pandemic shutdowns and some have stayed that way. Employees and employers alike in this I-285/GA-400 corridor should start finding ways to do this again, if not already. Flex-working or hybrid remote/in-person schedules at least make some paper cuts at the extra traffic.

MARTA trains serve the I-85 and GA-400 corridors. Buses zigzag this whole region in Fulton and DeKalb. Taking some extra cars off these regions during this traffic stress will help. MARTA was a major help for drivers during the 2017 I-85 bridge collapse.

Plan before you go

Commuters check drive times and conditions before hitting the Perimeter and surrounding roads. I know a guy.

95.5 WSB has 24-hour traffic updates, including every six minutes in morning and PM drives. Ch. 2 Action News does traffic every 10 minutes with Mike Shields 4:30-7 weekday mornings. Our Triple Team Traffic Alerts App gives a great overview of delays and incidents on the map, has push alerts sent by our team of experts for major problems, and plays audio alerts to mobile devices from members of our team 24/7 when the vehicle gets near a problem spot.

Traffic will be worse than normal…and that will become the new normal. But there is no reason to just blindly drive into an atomic blindspot. We can all get through this together, just as we have done before.

Doug Turnbull, the PM drive Skycopter anchor for Triple Team Traffic on 95.5 WSB, is the Gridlock Guy. He also hosts a traffic podcast with Smilin’ Mark McKay on wsbradio.com. Contact him at Doug.Turnbull@cmg.com.

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