Officials say interstate expansion work will be worth the wait

Long-awaited renovations to the Interstate 75/16 interchange will include a feature that ties into a unique pedestrian trail, Mayor Robert Reichert announced during groundbreaking ceremonies Friday.

A way will be made in the Ocmulgee Heritage Trail so that people will be able to walk along a seven-mile trail from Amerson River Park to where it’s expected to end near Walnut Creek Road.

In time, rather than removing a temporary vehicle bridge that’s set to be built during the interstate work, it will be converted into a pedestrian bridge that will connect the Ocmulgee Heritage Trail.

Phase One of the ambitious $500 million expansion project — decades in the making — will improve about 1.5 miles of I-16 eastbound between I-75 and Coliseum Drive as well as a stretch of I-75 near the Pleasant Hill neighborhood.

But the project will be years in the making.

The final phase isn’t scheduled to be put out for bid until 2023, according to the Georgia Department of Transportation.

“It sounds like a long time, but there will actually be incremental improvements along the way so that you will enjoy some benefits sooner rather than later,” DOT Commissioner Russell R. McMurry said.

In the meantime, residents should be on alert as they enter the work zone, as construction can change from week to week.

“Pack a little extra patience. Plan ahead,” McMurry said. “Certainly use the Georgia 511 app to get the latest construction updates before you leave.”

This story was originally published June 16, 2017 at 6:03 PM with the headline "Officials say interstate expansion work will be worth the wait."