The Transform GA-400/I-285 project has seen some big interruptions and a few new ramps open in the last four years. As the major interchange-rebuild enters the stretch run - its completion is set for the end of this year - two major ramps will close ahead of a newly transformed ramp’s opening.

On Wednesday night, GDOT crews will shut down the GA-400/northbound ramp to I-285/westbound (Outer Loop) (Exit 4B). In a rare move, GDOT will keep that ramp that takes drivers toward I-75 closed for more than four days. This ramp is scheduled to re-open at 5 a.m. Monday. The GA-400/southbound ramp to I-285/westbound is also set to close from 9 p.m. Friday until sometime Saturday.

This extended closure of a busy set of ramps is to allow crews to prepare a brand new collector-distributor ramp from I-285/westbound to Roswell Road (Exit 25). That CD ramp, the first of several planned for the revamped interchange, will also open at 5 a.m. Monday.

The current (soon to be old) I-285/westbound ramp to Roswell Road will close permanently at 9 p.m. Friday. Until the new ramp opens on Monday morning, drivers will need to take GA-400 either north to Abernathy (Exit 5) or south to Glenridge (Exit 3) and then follow those roads to Roswell Road. Drivers can also take I-285/westbound over to Riverside Drive (Exit 24), then double-back eastbound back to Roswell Road.

The new I-285/westbound (Outer Loop) CD exit ramp to Roswell Road will begin just after Peachtree Dunwoody Road (Exit 28)...nearly three miles earlier, forcing drivers on the Northside Perimeter to commit to the exit well before they are used to. This CD ramp system is designed to force local traffic to commit to the exiting side of a freeway earlier, freeing up the left lanes for express traffic that is passing through that area.

Road crews will have to pace I-285/westbound traffic for several miles early Monday morning to allow for the new ramp’s safe opening. That process could take a half hour or more, so plan to stay off of I-285/westbound between I-85 and Roswell Road from 4 to 5 a.m. Monday. Take I-85/southbound in DeKalb down to GA-400/northbound in Buckhead to get into Sandy Springs during this traffic pacing.

For those on GA-400 looking to access I-285/westbound during the ramp closures, there are several options. Drivers can take Glenridge Drive, Hammond Drive, or Abernathy Road over to Roswell Road and up to I-285. GDOT is recommending taking the GA-400 ramps to I-285/eastbound (Inner Loop), then exiting at Ashford Dunwoody Road (Exit 29), then simply getting onto I-285/westbound from there. But Ashford Dunwoody backs up quickly, so this detour may not be a good rush hour or weekend option.

GDOT is estimating the new Roswell Road CD ramp’s opening for 5 a.m. Monday, but crews could get it open before that. They also caution that weather or other circumstances could delay the opening, so stay with 95.5 WSB for live updates.

The ramp closures, the pacing before the Roswell Road ramp-opening, and the confusion about the new CD ramp’s location are sure to cause delays. Listen for live Triple Team Traffic updates around the clock on 95.5 WSB and plan your commute by leaving the Triple Team Traffic Alerts App open while driving, to get automatic audio reports from Atlanta’s best traffic team.

The skinny:

-GA-400/nb ramp to I-285/wb (Outer Loop) (Exit 4B), heading twd. I-75, closes 9 p.m. Wed. to 5 a.m. Mon.

-GA-400/sb ramp to I-285/wb (Exit 4B) closes 9 p.m. Fri. until midday Sat.

-The current I-285/wb ramp to Roswell Road closes permanently at 9 p.m. Friday.

-The new I-285/wb CD ramp to Roswell Road opens by 5 a.m. Monday and starts just after Peachtree Dunwoody (Exit 28), nearly three miles before the original Roswell Road exit. Crews will pace all I-285/wb traffic just before the opening.

-Avoid the area, if possible, until all ramps are open.

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