Atlanta-area drivers who use Bouldercrest Road face five days of detours from Thursday night. The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) is closing the Bouldercrest Road bridge over Interstate 285 in DeKalb County from 9 p.m. on Thursday, November 12, until 5 a.m. on Tuesday, November 17, weather and construction conditions permitting, GDOT said.
All Bouldercrest Road traffic approaching the bridge will be detoured during the closure, GDOT says. The bridge carries local traffic across I-285 — Atlanta's perimeter interstate — in southeast Atlanta, a corridor used daily by commuters, delivery drivers, rideshare drivers and truck traffic moving around the city.
Why the road is closing
Crews will use the closure to raise the existing Bouldercrest Road and the bridge approaches by about four feet, to match the higher elevation of the newly constructed bridge, according to GDOT. Once the work is complete, traffic will shift onto the new bridge, giving drivers access to the updated I-285 eastbound and westbound ramps.
The temporary closure is part of a larger $95 million I-285 and Bouldercrest Road interchange improvement project designed to improve traffic flow, accommodate increased truck traffic and address safety concerns along the busy corridor, according to GDOT reporting. The wider project also includes five new bridges and additional collector-distributor lanes between Bouldercrest Road and I-675.
The detours, step by step
Northbound drivers approaching the bridge should take I-285 east to Flat Shoals Road at Exit 48, turn left onto I-285 west, then exit at Bouldercrest Road at Exit 51 and turn right toward northbound Bouldercrest Road, GDOT says.
Southbound drivers should take the I-285 west entrance ramp to Moreland Avenue at Exit 52, turn left and continue south to Cedar Grove Road, then turn left to reconnect with Bouldercrest Road, GDOT says. Motorists should follow posted construction signs and directions from traffic crews throughout the closure.
GDOT currently expects the closure to end at 5 a.m. on Tuesday, November 17 — but construction schedules can change with weather or site conditions. Drivers can check 511 Georgia (511ga.org), call 511, or use the Georgia 511 app for the latest conditions before travelling.
Who feels it most
The closure affects residents travelling between southeast Atlanta, DeKalb County and nearby communities that depend on Bouldercrest Road as part of their daily commute. People heading to work, school or medical appointments should leave earlier than usual, and rideshare and delivery drivers may face additional mileage and delays, the reporting notes. Even drivers who do not use Bouldercrest Road may see changed traffic patterns on nearby interstate ramps and connecting roads as traffic adjusts to the detours.
For truckers, the work is part of a corridor that matters beyond one neighbourhood: GDOT says the interchange project is designed in part to accommodate increased truck traffic on and around I-285, the ring road that carries freight around Atlanta and connects to I-675. During the closure, through traffic on I-285 itself is not the target of the work — the closure is on the Bouldercrest Road bridge above it — but ramp movements at the interchange change while the approaches are raised.
What happens next
If the schedule holds, the bridge reopens at 5 a.m. on Tuesday, November 17, with traffic shifted onto the new bridge and the updated I-285 ramps. The wider $95 million interchange project — five new bridges and the new collector-distributor lanes between Bouldercrest Road and I-675 — continues after this closure, so drivers should expect further staged work at the interchange even after Bouldercrest Road itself reopens.