This project, the second phase of the Interstate 16/I-75 Interchange Reconstruction Project, is valued at more than $62.6 million. To be done in the city of Macon, it will involve the widening and reconstruction of I-75 from Hardeman Avenue to Pierce Avenue and the widening of I-16 to Walnut Creek.
GDOT says the scale of the overall project is so large that it is being done in seven phases. The first was awarded in January.
“The junction of I-16 and I-75 is the major freight corridor from the Port of Savannah to Metro Atlanta and Macon’s gateway,” GDOT Commissioner Russell McMurry says. “We are very excited about getting to this point and are thankful for all the community input over the years. This phase and the other phases of the overall project will improve traffic flow, enhance safety and provide a major makeover for Macon.”
This phase of the project, which went to C.W. Matthews Contracting of Marietta, Georgia, is for widening and reconstruction on a 1.4-mile stretch of I-16 beginning at I-75 and extending to Coliseum Drive/Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. The project also involves construction of a collector/distributor road system built parallel to the interstate. Coliseum Drive will also be widened to six lanes and given a concrete median. Six bridges and approaches will also be added to I-16 for the additional collector/distributor lanes. The expected complete date is June 30, 2021.
The other contracts awarded in this round include construction of two bridges (one in Jones County and one in Ben Hill County) valued at $13 million, widening and reconstruction of 1.4 miles of SR 56 and installation of an intersection video detection system in Burke County, a roundabout in Effingham County and traffic signal upgrades in Barrow County.
