The widening of a section of Interstate 85 in our area is slated to become the first of several projects under the Georgia Department of Transportation's Major Mobility Investment Program.
Late last month, the department let the contract for the work which will run from I-985 to Georgia 53.
Andrew Heath, State Traffic Agent, said the 85 work and other projects are big ones.
"It's 11 projects that have an estimated cost of over $11 billion, so we're talking about very major infrastructure investments," Heath said.
The 85 project runs through portions of Gwinnett, Barrow, and Jackson counties. Heath said 3 widening projects on I-85 fall under the program, and that eventually the interstate will be wider all the way to the South Carolina line.
The contractor C.W. Matthews will do the first project, with construction expected to start next summer.
The Major Mobility Investment Program came following 2015 changes in the state's taxing structure, making an extra $1 billion available every year for transportation improvements.
Other MMIP efforts include the widening of I-16 in middle Georgia and various express lane projects.
AccessWDUN's Derreck Booth and the Georgia News Network contributed to this story.
