Massive concrete and steel beams are now towering over the I-20/I-285 West interchange on Atlanta’s west side, a very visible turning point in the roughly $1 billion rebuild of one of the region’s ugliest chokepoints. The Georgia Department of Transportation is working to swap out those 1960s-era loops for modern flyovers and smoother right-hand exits that should make the whole knot a lot less painful to drive.
Beams and flyovers take shape
Crews have started hoisting huge precast concrete and steel beams into place, each weighing more than 127,000 pounds, onto freshly built columns as the first flyovers begin to emerge. “It is a big milestone today,” Georgia DOT spokesperson Kyle Collins told reporters, adding that the agency is ahead or on schedule, according to FOX 5 Atlanta. The first flyover set to open will carry I-285 southbound traffic and is expected to be ready by spring 2027, the station reports.
Why the Perimeter rebuild matters
This corner of the Perimeter affects a lot more than daily commuters. The American Transportation Research Institute ranked the I-20/I-285 West interchange high on its 2026 Top Truck Bottlenecks list, highlighting how backups here can ripple through freight corridors across the region. The redesign calls for the removal of left-hand exits, the addition of auxiliary and collector-distributor lanes, and new two-lane flyovers meant to cut down on truck weaving and improve safety, as described by the American Transportation Research Institute.
What drivers will see this year
Drivers can expect daytime beam placements this week and more overnight work next month, including I-20 closures between Fulton Industrial Boulevard and H.E. Holmes Drive and lane shifts on I-285 while the beams go in. GDOT estimates the finished interchange could deliver a 20% to 30% improvement in peak travel speeds, but the full program is not expected to wrap up until around 2030, according to FOX 5 Atlanta. Local drivers told the station the overhaul is overdue. “It’s needed way before 2030 because there is so much traffic,” one commuter said…