For Immediate Release: Contact: Teri N. Pope Monday, June 23, 2014 @ 1:15 a.m. 404.274.6436

IT’S OPEN! NEW COLLINS HILL BRIDGE

IT’S GONE! SIGNAL ON SR 316 AT COLLINS HILL

Lawrenceville, Ga. – Georgia DOT announces the new Collins Hill Road Bridge over State Route 316 is open for

use. One lane in each direction of the new Collins Hill Road Bridge over State Route 316 and the exit ramps from SR

316 to Collins Hill Road opened at 1:05 this morning. The traffic signal on SR 316 at the intersection of Collins Hill

Road is gone because Collins Hill does not intersect with SR 316 anymore. This will greatly improve traffic flow on

SR 316.

The entrance ramp from Collins Hill Road to SR 316 west towards Atlanta will open by 6 a.m. Monday, June 23.

The entrance ramp from Collins Hill Road to SR 316 east towards Athens will open July 20, weather permitting. To

access SR 316 east, follow the signed detour; Collins Hill Road to Hurricane Shoals Road to SR 20 to SR 316 east.

“We have not started building the entrance ramp to SR 316 east from Collins Hill because traffic was running where

the ramp will go. Now that traffic is using the new Collins Hill Bridge, construction of the ramp will begin and the

ramp will open by July 20 along with the two lanes on the bridge. We build it one piece at a time and open each

section as it is ready. As we finish a new piece of the interchange, we open it to traffic and then can work in the area

traffic was previously using. We are opening one lane of the new bridge in each direction this weekend so motorists

can get accustomed to the change outside of the peak travel times,” explained Harold Mull, District Construction

Engineer.

The new Collins Hill Road Bridge features sidewalks and bike lanes in each direction. The new bridge is 361 feet

long and 94 feet wide with two lanes in each direction.

Once the project is completed, motorists will access SR 316, Collins Hill Road and State Route 20 via ramps instead

of intersections. “This project will build one interchange or exit to allow traffic from State Route 316 to access State

Route 20 or to access Collins Hill Road using a system of long ramps. The existing signalized intersections at State

Route 20 and at Collins Hill Road will be removed as the interchange is finished. It is similar to the system we have

along I-85 from SR 120 down to Pleasant Hill Road. You get off the mainline of I-85 south at SR 120 and use the

parallel roads to access the exit you need,” concluded Mull.

This $37.4 million construction project includes 2.23 miles of new roadway and two new bridges over SR 316. The

project completion date is May 31, 2016 and the contractor is GP’S Enterprises, Inc. of Auburn.

The Georgia Department of Transportation continues its RoadWorks 2014 construction program. Dozens of

important roadway improvement projects are ongoing throughout the state as we work to deliver projects on time

and on budget while keeping our transportation network the nation’s finest. Pardon the necessary inconvenience and

please drive cautiously and safely at all times, especially in work zones. For more information on Georgia DOT,

please visit www.dot.ga.gov or subscribe to our Press Release RSS feed. You also may follow us on Facebook

(https://www.facebook.com/GDOTNE ) and Twitter (https://twitter.com/GDOTNE).

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OPENS NOW! SR 316 EAST EXIT

RAMP TO COLLINS HILL ROAD

OPENS BY MONDAY

23RD @ 6AM

SR 316 WEST

ENTRANCE RAMP

TO COLLINS HILL RD

OPENS JULY 20 —SR 316 EAST

ENTRANCE RAMP FROM COLLINS

HILL ROAD AND TWO OUTER LANES

OF COLLINS HILL ROAD BRIDGE

OPEN NOW!

SR 316 WEST EXIT RAMP

TO COLLINS HILL RD

CO

LLINS H

ILL RD

BR

IDG

E OP

EN N

OW

!

UPDATED JUNE 21, 2014 @ 1:15am