85-385 Gateway Project schedules traffic shift for this weekend
April 22, 2016
GREENVILLE, SC – Upstate drivers will be taking a new route when merging from I-85 North to I-385 North by early next week.
Weather permitting, a temporary ramp is expected to be completed this weekend that will shift driving lanes for the next nine months as crews work on the new interchange for the 85-385 Gateway Project. This $231 million project is the second largest undertaking in South Carolina Department of Transportation history.
The project overhauls the existing interchange with new bridges and flyovers as well as adds lanes to I-85 and I-385; resyncs traffic lights along Woodruff Road and rehabs roadways. Substantial work will be done by late 2018 with substantial completion scheduled for Spring 2019.
The 85-385 Gateway Project is utilizing a design-build contract which will require Flatiron-Zachry, a joint venture of Flatiron Construction Corp. and Zachry Construction Corp, to design, obtain permits, acquire right-of-way, coordinate utility relocation and construct the new interchange — all under the oversight of SCDOT and FHWA.
The project is being financed in part with funding from Act 98 of 2013 which provided the SCDOT with additional funding for bridge, resurfacing and mainline interstate projects. Additional funding is being provided by the Federal Interstate Improvement Program and Greenville-Pickens Area Transportation Study Committee (GPATS.)
About the 85-385 Gateway Project
The 85-385 Gateway Interchange Improvement Project will provide an economic boost to the Upstate, improve safety for the traveling public, and increase the capacity of this Interchange to function more efficiently for many years to come. Average daily traffic volume at this interchange is 190,000 vehicles per day making this one of the busiest interchanges in South Carolina. At $231 million, it is the second largest transportation project in South Carolina History. Learn more at www.85385gateway.com.
