Responding

to outrage from southside Atlanta commuters, the Georgia Department of

Transportation has changed its work schedule for lane closings due to

improvements slated for both sides of I-85 between Flat Shoals Road and

Riverdale Road in south Fulton County.

The DOT's original

plan was to have lane closures beginning at 9 a.m. weekdays and lasting

through 3:30 p.m. The new schedule released Wednesday, however, has only

single lane closures planned during the daytime to help lighten the load

on southside commuters.

Officials now

plan to bunch the work in from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays

and from 9 p.m. to 10 a.m. Fridays through Saturdays.

"Motorists

are not likely to see daytime work in this section for the first few weeks

of the project," said Steve Henry, DOT Metro District Engineer.

When weekday

lane closures are needed, they will be limited to one lane at a time and

for short distances only, Henry said.

"At every

opportunity, the Georgia Department of Transportation attempts to minimize

the inconvenience on motorists caused by construction work," Henry

said.

The initial

construction will involve minor work such as guard rail installation,

drainage adjustments and shoulder paving, according to the DOT. This work

is typically slated for the later stages of such a project, officials

said.

Construction

crews began work on the 5.11-mile section of road with minimal delays;

recorded backups were no more than one-eighth of a mile long, the DOT

said.

The original

construction schedule was sprung on commuters with little warning Tuesday

as DOT released information about the project to news media.

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