A new interchange on Interstate 985 has been planned for Thompson Mill Road in Buford.
The Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners voted August 6 to approve a project framework agreement with the Georgia Department of Transportation to start the engineering for what will become the tenth 985 interchange.
Construction on the project is currently expected to begin in 2028. Lewis Cooksey, transportation director for Gwinnett County, told commissioners earlier this month that the goal of the new interchange is to relieve traffic at nearby Exit 4 at State Route 20/Buford Drive.
"To the south, the closest interchange to Thompson Mill (Road) is at State Route 20, which is burdened with over 90,000 vehicles per day," Cooksey said. "This project will provide relief with convenient and efficient access to I-985 for the area."
The new exit will become the new northernmost exit in Gwinnett County, just a mile from the Hall County line and just a mile and a half south of Exit 8 at State Route 347/Friendship Road.
The agreement entered by Gwinnett County commissioners this month is for the preliminary engineering, which is slated to start in 2025. GDOT is contributing $2 million to that work with Gwinnett County contributing $500,000. Those county funds will come from SPLOST dollars.
The Atlanta Regional Commission will also be involved in the engineering for the project.
