Nighttime Work to begin on 85-385 Gateway this week in Greenville County
July 27, 2015
GREENVILLE, SC – Starting Monday, July 27th, motorists traveling at night on I-85 between Mauldin Road and Highway 14 will begin to see the first signs of activity on one of the largest transportation infrastructure projects undertaken by the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT).
The $231 million I-85/I-385 Interchange Improvement project is a four-year major interstate construction contract to modernize the existing I-85 and I-385 interchange in Greenville County. This interchange currently handles nearly 200,000 vehicles per day. This project is using a design-build contract approach in which Flatiron-Zachry, a joint venture of Flatiron Construction Corp. and Zachry Construction Corporation, will not only be responsible for building the interchange, but also perform the design, obtain permits, acquire right-of-way and coordinate utility relocations under the oversight of SCDOT and the Federal Highway Administration.
The work set to begin next week involves repaving operations on the northbound travel lanes of Interstate 85 between Mauldin Road (mile marker 46) and Woodruff road (mile marker 51) and between Pelham Road (mile marker 54) and the GSP Airport Exit (mile marker 57). It is expected to be complete by November. “This rehabilitation work is just the first of many upgrades scheduled in the next 4 years to improve safety and ease congestion around this interchange. The public can expect to see a huge transformation of the current I-85/I-385 interchange during this time,” said David Hebert, SCDOT Resident Construction Engineer.
Highlights of this project include:
• Extending the right-hand lane on I-85 Northbound, about a mile north of the interchange, to tie directly into the Pelham Road exit.
• Extending the Pelham Road on-ramp on I-85 Southbound, to tie directly into the new interchange.
• Adding collector/distributor ramps through the new interchange and also under Woodruff Road on I-385.
• Widening the I-385 corridor from 4 thru-lanes to 6 thru-lanes over between Mauldin Road and Roper Mountain Road.
• Constructing 11 new bridges structures within the interchange, including two flyover bridges to replace the existing tight loop ramps associated with the existing interchange.
• Reconstructing and enhancing the traffic signal system along the Woodruff Road Corridor between Roper Mountain Road and Highway 14.
• Reconstructing three intersections on Woodruff Road at Market Point Drive, Garlington and Miller roads.
• Providing a right-out only exit from The Shops at Greenridge onto westbound Woodruff Road.
The major phases of construction are expected to begin by early 2016 and finish late in 2018. During this time, lane closures will be restricted to the nighttime hours to minimize impacts to motorists.
Funding is being provided by Act 98 of 2013 which provided SCDOT with additional funding for bridge, resurfacing and mainline interstate projects, the Federal Interstate Improvement Program and GPATS, the Greenville-Pickens Area Transportation Study Committee.
For more information about the I-85/I-385 Gateway project, including construction updates and lane closure restrictions, visit the newly launched I-85/I-385 project website at www.85385gateway.com or via social media at Facebook (85-385gateway) and Twitter (85385gateway).
