A Tuesday groundbreaking in Forsyth County will be ceremonial, but the event signals the beginning of a new interchange at one of the most congested traffic spots in North Georgia.
The new interchange at Georgia 400 and SR 369 - better known as Browns Bridge Road - is a collaborative project between the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) and Forsyth County Government. The design calls for a partial cloverleaf interchange and a widening of SR 369.
"The GDOT [portion of] the project is actually the overpass bridge and the ramps," said GDOT spokeswoman Katie Strickland. "The actual interchange is where we come in with the funding element."
Forsyth County will pay for widening Browns Bridge Road from two lanes to four on the approach to the interchange. A 20-foot raised median will divide the lanes of traffic. In addition, an eight-foot enhanced sidewalk trail will be built on the south side of the road with a five-foot sidewalk built on the north side.
Strickland praised the county for working with the state to fund the solution to what is often a traffic headache.
"Forsyth County is one of those unique counties that voted for a bond referendum," Strickland said, noting that the county and the state have worked together on other projects along the Georgia 400 corridor.
The county set aside $33 million in its 2014 bond referendum for this specific project, while the state committed $16 million to the interchange.
Construction on the new interchange is expected to be finished in spring 2023. Follow this link for more information on the project.
The groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled for 9 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 17 at 3825 Browns Bridge Road on the northeast corner of the intersection.
