East Cobb commuters who use I-285 to reach jobs in south Fulton or west Atlanta should plan for nightly lane closures starting Monday, Aug. 3, as the Georgia Department of Transportation pushes forward on its $1.2 billion reconstruction of the I-285/I-20 West Interchange.
The closures run through Monday, Aug. 10, according to Cobb County Courier. Most work happens between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m., but midday pacing operations will shut down all lanes on two stretches during the first half of the week. The disruptions come as lane closures on other Cobb roads continue squeezing East Cobb commuters through fall.
What's closing at night
On I-285 northbound between Cascade Road and Bolton Road, crews will alternate single and double lane closures nightly. Single-lane closures begin at 9 p.m.; double-lane closures start at 11 p.m. Both reopen by 5 a.m.
I-285 southbound faces the same pattern between US 78/Donald Lee Hollowell Parkway and SR 139/MLK Jr. Drive.
On I-20 westbound, alternating closures run between the Anderson Avenue underpass and Riverside Parkway. I-20 eastbound closures affect the stretch between Riverside Parkway and the I-285 interchange.
Surface streets are not spared. SR 70/Fulton Industrial Boulevard southbound (Wendell Drive to Shirley Drive) and SR 139/MLK Jr. Drive northbound (Old Gordon Road to Adamsville Drive) each lose a right lane and shoulder nightly from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m., Monday, Aug. 3, through Saturday, Aug. 8.
Midday shutdowns, Monday through Thursday only
Drivers should note a daytime pacing operation that closes all lanes and shoulders on I-285 southbound from SR 280/South Cobb Drive to the I-20 interchange, plus all lanes on I-20 westbound from SR 139/MLK Jr. Drive to the I-285 interchange. Those full closures run 10:30 a.m. to noon, Monday, Aug. 3, through Thursday, Aug. 6. They do not continue through the weekend.
A separate project from the Westside Rebuild
This interchange reconstruction is distinct from the $155 million I-285 Westside Rebuild Project covering the Collier Drive to Paces Ferry Road corridor. The interchange project, ranked by the American Transportation Research Institute as the nation's sixth most congested interchange and 10th worst freight bottleneck, spans Cobb, Fulton, and Douglas counties.
Marietta-based C.W. Matthews Contracting Co. leads construction through a partnership called Legacy Infrastructure Contractors. The project will reconstruct system-to-system ramps, add collector-distributor lanes, and build roughly 6 miles of new lanes along I-20 from Factory Shoals Road to Hamilton E. Holmes Drive.
"We appreciate the public's patience as we get started constructing a more modern interchange with improved safety for the traveling public top of mind," GDOT project manager Donald Stull said in July 2025, when heavy construction officially began on the project.
How to stay updated
According to GDOT's closure advisory, no more than one ramp in the interchange will be closed at a time, and detour routes will be coordinated to avoid conflicts. All closures are weather-permitting and times may shift.
Motorists can check real-time conditions at 511ga.org, call 511, or download the Georgia 511 app. Additional project information is available at GDOT's project hub.
