I-75 in Henry Co. getting upgrade

Millions of dollars will soon fund interstate improvements across Georgia. One of the trouble spots getting an upgrade is on Interstate 75 between Eagles Landing Parkway and Interstate 675.

”All across Georgia this past year, the Department of Transportation completed, continued and began important safety and mobility projects like this upcoming I-75 work, Commissioner Keith Golden said. ”In addition to improving our state’s transportation infrastructure, we invested a billion dollars in our economy and provided jobs for thousands of our citizens.  It was a good year’s work.

The moing and afteoon commute on I-75 can be filled with backups for Henry County drivers.

”I never go the freeway. I always go the back ways, driver Earl Reed told Channel 2's Darryn Moore.

But the Georgia Department of Transportation will begin construction of a 1.2-mile northbound auxiliary lane between the Eagles Landing Parkway exit and the interstate. The function of an auxiliary lane is to give drivers more room to speed up and slow down when merging into freeway traffic. It also reduces backups on the ramps.

”We just have to be patient and watch them and see what happens, Reed said.

There will be four northbound auxiliary lanes. The price tag for the project is a little more than $7 million. It should be wrapped up by December 2013.