In a few weeks, local weekend travelers will be inconvenienced by the massive lane reconstruction on Interstate 85 near Ga. Highway 74.

The southbound access ramp leading from I-85 to Hwy. 74 will close on the weekends of June 10-12 and June 17-19, according to Karlene Barron of the Georgia Department of Transportation. As typical with this project, the closings will begin at 9 p.m. Friday and last through 5 a.m. Monday morning, just in time to get out of the way for commuter traffic.

Fayette motorists may want to use an alternate route, Barron suggested, because traffic will likely back up significantly since cars will have to merge into one lane to get past Hwy. 74. That's because the project takes up two lanes at a time, and the interstate narrows from four lanes to three just past the Hwy. 74 overpass, Barron said.

The prognosis doesn't get much better for the following two weekends, when the northbound access ramp to I-85 will be closed as work begins on the northbound lanes, Barron said. Those dates are subject to change, particularly if crews are slowed by inclement weather, she noted.

One possible shortcut is to exit at Hwy. 138, go left and then turn right onto Oakley Industrial Boulevard, which goes all the way