Highway projects start near Atlanta airport

ATLANTA - Highway contractors are starting two major repaving projects on Interstate 85 and I-75 south of Atlanta that critics fear will cause major traffic backups and delays for passengers headed to Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport. <br> <br> The state Department of Transportation announced Tuesday that work will begin immediately on the $24.5 million projects on 5.1 miles of I-85 and 8.7 miles of I-75. <br> <br> ``They are going to start work (on I-85) before our morning rush hour is completed, and that is going to cause problems,&#39;&#39; said Ted Allred, vice president for operations for AAA Auto Club South, the state&#39;s largest motorist organization. <br> <br> ``And that work on both 75 and 85 will play havoc with airport traffic as people try to make their flights,&#39;&#39; Allred said. <br> <br> The repaving of I-85 between Riverdale and Flat Shoals roads will involve one or two lanes in either direction being closed virtually around the clock except during the peak of the weekday rush hours. <br> <br> The work on I-75, from the I-285 interchange to just south of the merger with I-675, will be milled out and repaved during nights and weekends. It will also involve either one or two lanes being closed during the work periods. <br> <br> The DOT generally has restricted repaving to nights and weekends. The I-85 project is expected to cause lane closings Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., with nighttime work resuming at 9 p.m. <br> <br> Deputy DOT Commissioner Harold Linnenkohl said the department will re-evaluate its plans if delays become extreme. He said the agency is trying to get work done quickly and as inexpensively as possible with the least impact on motorists. <br> <br> ``We&#39;re just experiencing a system that is very old and very tired,&#39;&#39; he said. ``We&#39;re having to do more major work than we have in the past.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> District engineer Steve Henry said both projects are urgently needed. Cracks and potholes have begun to appear in the pavement in both areas, and if the winter proves to be wet, the projects will become much more complex and expensive, he said. <br> <br> ``We want to correct it before it becomes a serious problem,&#39;&#39; Henry said. <br> <br> Both projects will continue until the end of paving season, usually late October, and then resume next spring. The paving is expected to be completed by July 2003.