Gwinnett Daily Post

LAWRENCEVILLE - There will be no lane closures this week on Interstate 85, but there are some planned for every day and night on Ga. Highway 316.

Weather permitting, there will be one westbound lane closed on Ga. 316. The Georgia Department of Transportation plans to close the inside lane from Breckinridge Boulevard to I-85 South from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and 8:30 p.m. overnight until 5 a.m.

Crews will be adding asphalt and widening the inside shoulder of Ga. 316 westbound to prepare for the building of two new flyover bridges, said Russell McMurry, district engineer for the state DOT.

Throughout the week, construction workers will be clearing, grading and installing drainage lines. They will also be relocating utility lines, installing and maintaining erosion control measures, and constructing rock embankments, McMurry said.

"There are people and equipment working the project almost 24 hours a day," McMurry said. "Please remember to slow down, use extra caution and pay attention to the road, not the construction happening around you."

The closures are part of the large-scale construction project designed to reconstruct the I-85 and Ga. 316 interchange and extend the high-occupancy vehicle lane system in Gwinnett County. The project has an expected competition date of Dec. 31, 2008, with a construction cost of more than $147 million.

The two new flyover bridges will eventually help make the merge easier between Ga. 316 and I-85 South. Motorists have to merge into the left, fast-moving lane of I-85. After the project is completed, they will instead be able to enter the highway through the right lane.

The state DOT recommends that drivers check its traffic Web site at www.georgianavigator.com for real-time information on construction, accidents and slow-moving traffic.