It has been nearly a year since the work began on the new interchange at Interstate 85 and Poplar Road began. The work continues, with the opening expected in early 2019.
Twenty years in the making, the Ga. Dept. of Transportation in July 2012 approved the concept plan for the full-diamond interchange at Poplar Road and I-85.
“It all took teamwork to get it done,” Coweta County Commission Chairman Tim Lassetter said at the May 2016 groundbreaking and noting that the new interchange will carry the designation, Exit 44.
The total cost of the interchange situated on 50 acres is $28.8 million. E.R. Snell is the contractor that won the construction bid.
The interchange is expected to open to traffic in early 2019.
Coweta County’s contribution to the project of up to $15 million came from the local 1-percent sales tax (SPLOST).
Poplar Road is fast becoming a magnet for healthcare in Coweta County. The eight-story Piedmont Newnan Hospital opened on a large parcel of property adjacent to what will become the interchange. And though currently the tallest building in southwest metro Atlanta, long-term plans for the 362,376 square-foot facility call for the potential construction of a second hospital tower that will link to the existing building.
While with its height it changes the landscape along I-85, Piedmont Newnan Hospital also brought another healthcare asset, a 125,000 sq. ft. medical office building adjacent to the hospital.
Another healthcare facility in the immediate area, the 40,000 square-foot Newnan Professional Center, is situated on Newnan Crossing Boulevard East and Poplar Road and features a number of healthcare providers.
Also in the immediate area, the 50-bed HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital opened a short distance away on Newnan Crossing Boulevard East. The $22 million investment generated more than 125 full-time jobs.
Still other medical office and retail sites have been approved by the Coweta County Commission and the Newnan City Council along Newnan Crossing Bypass in the area of Poplar Road.
Immediately to the west of the proposed project area is the ongoing construction of the Poplar Road interchange. Once complete in early 2019, the interchange will help open up faster access to large areas of east Coweta.
