Lewiston Road interchange ordeal delayed once again
GROVETOWN, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Officials on Monday once again changed the dates of a major 90-hour road closure that’s coming up in Columbia County.
The closure is now set for Feb. 8-12.
It was originally planned to have been over by today, but was delayed due to weather forecasts. And now it’s been delayed once more – again due to the forecast.
The closure and detour of Lewiston Road/Horizon South Parkway at Exit 190 of Interstate 20 is tied to the reconfiguration of the interchange into a “diverging diamond.”
Roadwork at the intersection has already been going on for quite some time.
“The lanes are always changing. They want to do something in this lane, then they change it to that lane, and it can just be confusing,” said Hunter Cartrett.
Cartrett, along with thousands of other people, travels Lewiston Road multiple times a day.
“In the morning times, when I’m going to work at 4 a.m., it really isn’t that bad because there’s no one on the roads. But in the evenings, coming back from work, I come back around 5, and it can get pretty bad, pretty backed up on the interstate,” said Cartrett.
But leaders like Columbia County Engineer Kyle Titus say the headache will soon be gone.
“The diverging diamond across I-20 is going to be tremendous. I know a lot of folks are intimidated by it or the thought of working through it. But they’re designed with the drivers’ comfort in mind,” said Titus.
While new in America and unusual to many drivers, diverging diamond interchanges are considered more efficient and safer than traditional ones.
They allow nonstop and unobstructed turns when entering and exiting an interstate. That means no left turns against oncoming traffic.
But they’re also a little counterintuitive at first because the normal traffic pattern is momentarily flipped: Opposing vehicles drive to the left of each other instead of the right. Concrete barriers help keep it safe, though.
Under the new dates for the project, these closures are planned from noon Feb. 8 through 6 a.m. Feb. 12:
- I-20 Exit 190 interchange: There will be no traffic access between I-20 Exit 190 and Lewiston Road/Horizon South Parkway.
- I-20 Exit 190 over: No traffic will be permitted across the Lewiston Road/Horizon South Parkway over over I-20.
- Lewiston Road between I-20 west ramp and William Few Parkway: No through traffic will be permitted along this section of Lewiston Road.
- Horizon South Parkway between I-20 east ramp and Gateway Boulevard: No through traffic will be permitted along this section of Horizon South Parkway.
The closures will include these detour routes:
- I-20 Exit 183, Appling Harlem Highway to the west
- I-20 Exit 194, South Belair Road/Jimmie Dyess Parkway to the east
Here’s the detour map:
Columbia County engineers say Columbia Road westbound and Wrightsboro Road eastbound are two good alternate routes to take.
“Our big thing is if you can do your best to avoid this interchange at all costs during the closure. It may be inconvenient in the immediate but it’s going to be better than trying to get down there and then having to U-turn and come back out,” said Titus.
Titus told News 12 that they have been working with all emergency personnel to make sure if an accident happens EMS can still get on site. But they say the best thing for drivers to note is to plan ahead, share the word, and prepare for new changes.
When Lewiston reopens, new traffic patterns will follow the diverging diamond configuration.
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