Let’s make a list of certainties in life: death, taxes … and summer road work and thunderstorms in Georgia. The latter two are almost mutually exclusive. Crews typically don’t work in rain and especially not in storms. A gloomy forecast usually interrupts most projects.
But long-standing work zones do not just disappear, of course. Even with all lanes open and no crews milling around, construction areas have long term fixtures and features in place that change the topography of the roads for the duration of the project. We covered how this affects shoulder-width in last week’s column.
When the layout of the road is changed, things inevitably go wrong. The aforementioned summer storms conjure havoc on any road surface. But the complexities of having normal road functions work when structures change are under appreciated. The stress of torrential rain has exposed a weakness in the I-285/GA-400 work zone multiple times recently — and in the same spot.
Morning storms caused flooding both last Tuesday and Thursday mornings on I-285/westbound (Outer Loop) near Ashford Dunwoody Road (Exit 29). The flooding started on the left side of the road and spread into multiple lanes. This also occurred another time earlier this month and happened twice in an eight-day period in January of 2020. This is a spot we often watch when storms ignite.
I reached out to GDOT about the increase in frequency of this gridlock-inducing ponding near Perimeter Mall.
“Throughout the project timeline, we’ve worked to ensure proper construction zone water management,” spokesperson Natalie Dale told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and 95.5 WSB. And, she said, flash flooding and litter can overwhelm and block drains. But “project staff have cited past inadequate drainage practices related to this project,” Dale explained.
This is not the first time North Perimeter Contractors (NPC) has made a drainage mistake in this complex project. Workers blocked the same drain twice, causing the major flooding issues in January 2020.
The WSB Traffic Team tracked the impact of the flooding this past week, which jammed I-285/westbound back before I-85 and also stacked I-85/southbound from Gwinnett. There is never a good time for two-thirds of a freeway to be blocked, but the height of a rainy rush hour is about the worst.
GDOT hasn’t taken the drainage errors lightly amidst a major project that has been delayed for more than a year. “We are reviewing the overall drainage analysis provided to ensure it meets the contract requirements for the area. This would address the drainage system and the volume of rainfall it can safely handle as well as remove from the roadway. Additionally, the Department requested shoulder cleaning in this area along with inspection and clearing of the existing drainage system,” Dale said.
Analysis and the implementation of steps to mitigate future flooding are not the last steps. “If deemed appropriate, liquidated damages of $22,500 per incident would be assessed for failure to provide safe passage,” Dale stated.
That fine may be a drop in the bucket (pun intended) in comparison to the profit NPC can turn on the project or to the opportunity cost of all the time that so many spent stuck in traffic. But contractors should not make these mistakes scott-free. There have to be repercussions for these big errors, assuming errors are what GDOT’s investigation uncovers.
If your summer travels take you through the I-285/GA-400 work zone during heavy rain, check in with 95.5 WSB and our Triple Team Traffic Alerts App to make sure the roads are open. Until GDOT and NPC can iron out the problems on I-285/westbound at Ashford Dunwoody, that will be the spot drivers should check first in a summer deluge.
Doug Turnbull, the PM drive Skycopter anchor for Triple Team Traffic on 95.5 WSB, is the Gridlock Guy. He also hosts a traffic podcast with Smilin’ Mark McKay on wsbradio.com. Contact him at Doug.Turnbull@cmg.com.
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