Work on I-85 between the exit for Ga. Highway 54 and I-285 will get a little

more intense for southbound motorists beginning this weekend.

Crews will be working on the two right lanes starting 9 p.m. Friday, so

concrete barriers will re-route traffic into the two left lanes, with a small

shift toward the shoulder of the road, said DOT spokesperson Karlene Barron.

This part of the project is more intense because the two right lanes will

be completely ripped out and replaced, Barron noted.

The southbound lanes will be worked on in this manner for the next several

weeks between Buffington Road and I-285, Barron said. Also, the ramp to Spur

4 will be closed for the next two weekends, and motorists are urged to use

Old National Highway instead.

Lane closures on the weekends run from 9 p.m. Fridays until 5 a.m. Mondays

to avoid conflicts with commuters during the normal work week. On weeknights

Mondays through Thursdays, lane closures will occur between 9 p.m and 5 a.m.

The contractor has finished patching and fixing the two left lanes on the

northbound and southbound sides of the road, which required removal of certain

slabs of pavement in some places, Barron said.

This section of the Interstate was built about 35 years ago and has deteriorated

to the point where the full reconstruction will be necessary, officials said.

Motorists can stay up-to-date on the project by surfing to www.georgia-navigator.com

for construction updates. The site also offers MyNavigator, which provides

customized route information that can be downloaded to personal computers,

cell phones and PDAs. Construction information is also available 24 hours

a day by calling 1-888-419-GDOT (4368) or by dialing *DOT on Verizon, Cingular

or AT&T cell phones.