TIFTON, GA – Motorists should prepare for nighttime ramp and lane closures and a reduction in speed as a project to resurface Interstate 75 from Tift County to Turner County begins May 8.
Reames and Son Construction Co. Inc. of Valdosta will be resurfacing 18.8 miles of the roadway and off and on ramps beginning south of Southwell Boulevard in Tift County and ending south of state Route 32/Jefferson Davis Highway in Turner County. The cost of the project is $19.8 million. This will be the first major resurfacing of this section of interstate since 2001.
The contractor will work a Sunday through Thursday schedule. To minimize traffic interruption, all work will be done at night and none will be done on Fridays or Saturdays. GDOT has implemented additional restrictions on lane and ramp closures. Single lane closures are allowed from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. Monday through Sunday, double lane closures from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. and ramp closures from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. The speed limit on I-75 will be reduced to 60 mph within the work zone.
The existing pavement will be milled to remove the top layer of old asphalt and will be resurfaced with two layers of asphalt. Reames and Son Construction Co. Inc. plans to start on I-75 North on the Southwell Boulevard end of the project. All the northbound ramps will be milled and resurfaced first; the contractor expects to complete one on and off ramp per night. Once the ramps have been resurfaced, work will move to the outside shoulder, right (outside) lane, middle lane and inside (left) lane of I-75 North. When the northbound side is complete, the contractor will move to the southbound side. This type of work can be done only during favorable weather so inclement weather will affect the schedule. The project completion date is January 31, 2017.
Scheduled ramp or lane closures will be announced in advance.
