Construction Work At Diverging Diamond Interchange Set To Begin

KENNESAW, GA -- Construction work on a diverging diamond interchange to Wade Green Road over Interstate 75 in Kennesaw is set to begin as early as the coming days, Cobb County officials said recently.

The interchange is being built to respond to the gridlock the Cobb Department of Transportation has studied around the I-75 corridor during rush hour. In addition to shortening traffic signal times, the diverging diamond interchange will relieve traffic congestion while increasing capacity, the county said. To get notified of more local news like this, click here to sign up for the Kennesaw Patch. Or find your Atlanta-area town here. Or, if you have an iPhone, download the free Patch app.

Also included in the project is the rehabilitation of the Wade Green bridge, which will take at least five months, the county said. When the interchange is completed, motorists accessing I-75 eastbound and westbound will be able to cross the bridge without facing opposing traffic.

“Converting the Wade Green Road interchange to a DDI is vital to the traffic flow in the Kennesaw area, particularly in the morning and afternoon peak times,” said Jim Wilgus, director of the Cobb County Department of Transportation. “By converting to a DDI, we increase the overall capacity of the interchange and reduce delays.”

Below is a list of things the construction crews will do starting later this month:

• Widen the southbound on-ramp to I-75.
• Reconstruct the westbound lanes of Wade Green Road, beginning just east of the intersection with the I-75 northbound ramps.
• Add a right turn lane from the existing driveway of the BP gas station for I-75 northbound traffic.
• Add a left turn lane to the two Wade Green Road westbound through lanes approaching the intersection with the I-75 northbound ramps.
• Configure three westbound lanes of Wade Green Road to cross to the southern side of the existing Wade Green bridge over I-75.
• Add new sidewalks on the north and south sides of Wade Green Road. The project makes the first time.

The project is the first time a local government has been tapped to oversee a design-build contract using federal funding. “It will be the first design-build project primarily funded by the Georgia Department of Transportation that has been bid and built by a county, which is exciting for us,” Wilgus was quoted as saying.

Single-lane and full closures are expected to last into late September.