Overnight closures to take place on I-75 in Lowndes County

March 13, 2019

LOWNDES COUNTY, Ga. (WCTV) -- South Georgia drivers can expect delays on Interstate 75 as construction crews make progress on overhauling Exit 22.

The Georgia Department of Transportation is shutting down southbound traffic on I-75 near the exit. Crews are working on building a new interchange on the exit. On Wednesday, they will be demolishing and removing the overpass, but in order to do so, traffic will be rerouted.

Starting at 10:00 p.m. Wednesday, all southbound drivers will need to take exit 29 in Hahira. Drivers will then be directed to head west on SR 122, continuing south on SR 76 to SR 133. That's where drivers will be able to get back on I-75 on exit 18.

The project began in 2017.

Dianne Bennett has worked just off the exit for six years. She said she can't wait for the work to be done.

"It has really hurt business real bad, we used to be real busy. Even now we'd be busy and now it's just nothing, it's dropped off to almost nothing," Bennett said. "If you're not used to the area it's really hard. It's a little bit better now since they got the traffic on this side of the road, but it still interferes because people are still having a hard time."

The goal of the nearly $50 million project is to add more lanes to the overpass, reconstructing the interchange of both exit 22 and exit 29.

Work on the southbound lanes is expected to wrap up at 6:00 a.m. Thursday. Then crews will move over the northbound lanes. Overnight on Thursday, northbound drivers will need to take exit 22, cross North Valdosta Road and get back on I-75 using the on-ramp.

The project is expected to be complete next spring.