49-482: Interstate 285 ( I-285 ) is an auxiliary Interstate Highway encircling Atlanta, Georgia , for 63.98 miles (102.97 km). It connects the three major Interstate Highways to Atlanta: I-20 , I-75 , and I-85 . Colloquially referred to as the Perimeter , it also carries unsigned State Route 407 ( SR 407 ) and is signed as Atlanta Bypass on I-20, I-75, and I-85. Because of suburban sprawl , it
98-471: A 2–19 slump, won the game, kicking off a 13–2 winning streak that carried the team to the National League West division title. The team subsequently made for Pérez a warmup jacket with the notation "I-285" in place of his uniform number. The humor of the incident was credited for helping to improve the morale of the team and breaking the losing streak. Atlanta rapper Playboi Carti mentioned
147-427: A collection of megaprojects planned around the state. The program includes the addition of express lanes on I-285 from I-20 (exit 10) across the north end of Atlanta to I-20 (exit 46). The program also includes reconstructing the interchanges with I-20. The MMIP will construct two express lanes in each direction between Paces Ferry Road (mile 19) and Henderson Road (mile 35). This segment includes
196-409: A location as being inside or outside the Perimeter, sometimes abbreviated as ITP and OTP, a recent local neologism . This was also the rough boundary chosen by BellSouth for separating landline telephone exchanges in suburban area code 770 from the existing area code 404 in 1995. Generally, 404 is Atlanta itself and most suburbs inside the Perimeter, while 770 serves most of the suburbs outside
245-474: A new runway and taxiway of Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport, one of only two Interstates in the nation (along with I-564 in Norfolk, Virginia ) to have an underpass beneath a runway (underpasses for taxiways do occur elsewhere). Computer animations were developed prior to construction to simulate a jumbo jet touching down on the runway from a driver's perspective. The entire highway within
294-527: A place where the highway mileage resets to zero. Beltways are also preceded by an even number in the first digit. Some examples of beltways include: Interstate 675 (Georgia) Interstate 675 ( I-675 ) is an 11.04-mile-long (17.77 km) auxiliary Interstate Highway in the southeast part of the Atlanta metropolitan area . It travels from I-75 in Stockbridge in the south to I-285 in
343-727: A roughly 230-mile-long (370 km) circumferential loop around the Atlanta metropolitan area. Under Governor Sonny Perdue , the plans were dropped from the Regional Transportation Plan , in favor of the expansion of the rural state road network outside of Atlanta. The state will instead widen portions of SR 20 north of the Atlanta metropolitan area, along a similar alignment to the Northern Arc . GDOT broke ground in November 2017 on major improvements to
392-458: A state. There are three states that have no auxiliary Interstate Highways: Alaska, Arizona, and New Mexico. North Dakota has an auxiliary route, but it is unsigned , and Wyoming's does not meet Interstate Highway standards. Auxiliary Interstates are divided into three types: spur , loop , and bypass routes. The first digit of the three digits usually signifies whether a route is a bypass, spur, or beltway. The last two digits are derived from
441-454: A surface road, then go underground with a road tunnel. This would displace some neighborhoods and industrial areas to the south. The tunnel would protect other areas north of I-20; however, there would still be ventilation buildings. In 2010, the proposal faced opposition from then-Atlanta mayor Kasim Reed and many residents of the areas it would pass through. An August 2010 GDOT feasibility study found that "no physical constraints exist along
490-599: Is a well-signed and heavily enforced ban on through truck traffic along I-75, I-85, I-20, SR 400, and many other major Atlanta thoroughfares . As with highways just outside I-285, trucks are also prohibited from the far-left one or two lanes (except where there are left exits open to trucks). The complete circumference of I-285 is covered by Georgia Navigator , Georgia's intelligent transportation system (ITS). There have been 153 closed-circuit television traffic cameras , 26 electronic-message signs , and traffic-detection sensors installed in phases between 1999 and 2010 by
539-697: Is concurrent with US 19 . Much of Atlanta's high-end commercial real estate has developed along I-285, particularly at the northwestern I-75 and the SR ;400 interchanges. Notable buildings include the 35-story Concourse at Landmark Center in the Perimeter Center business district and the Cobb Galleria complex in the Cumberland area. East of Spaghetti Junction, I-285's direction switches from east to south, as it connects with
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#1732801065155588-653: Is designated as the Bob A. Holmes Freeway (named after the member of the Georgia House of Representative ), where I-285 heads north, and has an interchange with the Langford Parkway . Between I-20 in northwest Atlanta and I-75 near Cumberland Mall , it is designated as the James E. 'Billy' McKinney Highway (named after the member of the Georgia House of Representatives ) as it continues north and starts to curve to
637-462: Is estimated that more than two million people use the highway each day, making it one of the busiest Interstates in the Atlanta metropolitan area , and one of the most heavily traveled roadways in the US. During rush hour , portions of the highway slow, sometimes to a crawl. I-285 is 8 to 12 lanes wide, with the northern part from I-75 to SR 400 to I-85 the most heavily traveled. One segment of
686-448: Is intended to keep traffic moving at a reduced but steady speed, rather than suddenly braking drivers causing traffic to " clot " simply because other drivers are also braking (which causes unnecessary stop-and-go traffic). In 2013, there were 26 fatal accidents on I-285, giving it the highest rate of such accidents per 10 miles (16 km) of any Interstate in the country. Since the 1970s, GDOT has planned an outer loop, which would be
735-473: The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT). Additionally, ramp meters are present at nearly all entrance ramps onto I-285, with the exception of the southeast section of I-285 and the major freeway-to-freeway connection ramps. To many residents of Atlanta, the Perimeter defines a useful boundary to separate the Atlanta metropolitan area's core from its surrounding suburbs. People distinguish
784-577: The Stone Mountain Freeway at exit 39, and has an interchange with I-20 at exit 46, where I-285 starts to curve toward the southwest. At exit 52, it has an interchange with I-675 and heads straight west after the interchange with I-75 near the Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport. A portion of the section between I-75 and I-85 on the south side of I-285 has been bridged with
833-418: The tunnels is outfitted with stopped-vehicle sensors and fire detectors . Two electronic signs on either side of the tunnel can warn drivers if the tunnel is closed in an emergency. For 1.21 miles (1.95 km) in the southwest corner, I-85 occupies the median of I-285, yet the roadways remain separate. Heavy trucks traveling through (but not into) Atlanta are required to bypass the city on I-285, as there
882-540: The Braves played their home games at the time), where he was scheduled to start that evening's game against the Montreal Expos . He was unable to find the proper exit and circled the city several times before running out of gas and calling for help. When Pérez failed to arrive at the stadium by game time, the Braves called upon veteran pitcher Phil Niekro to make the emergency start. The Braves, who had been mired in
931-630: The Cobb Cloverleaf and the new interchange. In addition, the grading for a new flyover ramp from I-75 north to I-285 west to replace the existing loop ramp was constructed; however, no such ramp was ever constructed. The most recent modification, which took place between 2014 and 2018, added new access points to I-285 within the interchange for the Northwest Corridor Express Lanes . The approximately 1.6-mile (2.6 km) stretch of I-285 that runs concurrent with I-85
980-631: The Freeing the Freeways program. The cloverleaf interchange with I-85 in DeKalb County, which had earned the nickname "Malfunction Junction", was reconstructed into the present Tom Moreland Interchange configuration, commonly known as "Spaghetti Junction", between January 10, 1983, and July 9, 1987. The Emory Parrish Interchange, commonly known as the Cobb Cloverleaf, has been modified on multiple occasions. The first project, which took place in
1029-493: The I-285/ SR ;400 interchange. The project includes collector–distributor roads along I-285 and SR 400, the addition of a diverging diamond interchange at SR 400 and Abernathy Road, and new flyover ramps. The project has total costs of $ 800 million and construction is expected to be complete in late 2020. In January 2016, Governor Nathan Deal announced the major mobility investment program (MMIP),
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#17328010651551078-742: The Perimeter. The entire length of I-285 is part of the National Highway System , a system of routes determined to be the most important for the nation's economy, mobility, and defense. The route that became I-285 was first proposed by the Metropolitan Plan Commission, the predecessor agency to the Atlanta Regional Commission , in 1952, and added to the proposal that became the Interstate Highway System in 1955. At
1127-493: The addition of express lanes through major interchanges with I-75 , SR 400, and I-85 . Other projects will construct one express lane in each direction between I-20 (exit 10) and Paces Ferry Road, and from Henderson Road to I-20 (exit 46). The completion of all express lanes is planned in 2032. On July 31, 2012, metro-area voters rejected the T- special-purpose local-option sales tax comprehensive transportation plan that
1176-819: The east just west of the I-75 interchange. The northern portion of I-285, east of the Cobb Cloverleaf (I-75 interchange) to Spaghetti Junction (I-85 interchange), is frequently called the Top End Perimeter. This section, which includes an interchange with SR 400 at exit 27 (frequently cited as the most dangerous intersections in Atlanta), is one of the busiest freeways in the US, handling about 250,000 cars per day and crossing through Cobb , Fulton , and DeKalb counties, with several interchanges ( SR 141 , SR 13 , and I-85) bringing additional traffic to and from Gwinnett County . Through that stretch,
1225-514: The east side opened on August 24, 1968. The 5.6 miles (9.0 km) section between I-20 on the east side and US 23 opened in early September 1968. The last stretch of the route opened on October 15, 1969, in a ceremony officiated by then-Governor Lester Maddox . Construction of the Interstate cost $ 90 million (equivalent to $ 574 million in 2023), and the entire route was initially two lanes in each direction for its entire length. I-285
1274-522: The eastern I-20 interchange was widened between June 1978 and November 1979. The section between the eastern I-20 interchange and Chamblee Tucker road was widened between August 1980 and December 1982. Work on widening the stretch on the west side between I-85 and Paces Ferry Road began in September 1981 and was completed in August 1983. The final widening project was completed in 1989 with the completion of
1323-476: The expressway opened 3 years late and $ 10 million over budget in 1987. In 2006, a Reason Foundation report suggested a tunnel connecting I-675 to SR 400 and completing the originally proposed Interstate 420 estimating a cost of $ 4.8 billion. In 2009, the idea of connecting I-675 and SR 400 had been officially resurrected, being put on an official list of Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) priorities. This would extend I-675 north to I-20 with
1372-586: The freeway expands from six or eight lanes to between 10 and 14 lanes. While I-285 does not travel through Gwinnett County, the highway travels very close to the DeKalb–Gwinnett county line, and many major highways in Gwinnett County connect to I-285, with some prominent ones being US Route 78 (US 78), I-85, and SR 141. Major Gwinnett cities near I-285 are Peachtree Corners and Norcross . From exit 25 to exit 27, I-285
1421-521: The freeway expands with three lanes in each direction. The southern end of I-675 includes reversible high-occupancy toll (HOT) and express toll lanes built within the median, the South Metro Express Lanes , which opened January 28, 2017. The entire length of I-675 is part of the National Highway System , a system of routes determined to be the most important for the nation's economy, mobility, and defense. At one time, I-675
1470-472: The highway near Tom Moreland Interchange (a large, flyover highway interchange northeast of Atlanta colloquially called Spaghetti Junction) with I-85 widens to 18 lanes, including collector–distributor lanes . Exits are numbered clockwise, starting at the southwesternmost point at I-85 and ending just east of there where it meets I-85 again near Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport . Between I-85 and I-20 in southwest Fulton County , I-285
1519-517: The interstate in his single "Stop Breathing", on his second studio album, Whole Lotta Red Auxiliary Interstate Highway Auxiliary Interstate Highways (also called three-digit Interstate Highways ) are a subset of highways within the United States' Interstate Highway System . The 323 auxiliary routes generally fall into three types: spur routes , which connect to or intersect the parent route at one end; bypasses , which connect to
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1568-411: The late 1970s, constructed new mainline carriageways for I-285 traffic through the interchange, eliminating lefthand exits, and repurposed the original lanes into adjacent collector–distributor ramps. The next project, which took place in the mid-1980s, constructed a new flyover ramp between I-75 southbound and I-285 eastbound, and modified the connections between the interchange and the I-75 interchange to
1617-562: The main Interstate Highway. For instance, I-115 contains an odd number in the first digit (1), which indicates that this freeway is a spur. The last two digits signify the highway's origin. In this case, the "15" in I-115 shows that it is a supplement to I-15 . Exceptions to the standard numbering guidelines exist for a number of reasons. In some cases, original routes were changed, extended, or abandoned, leaving discrepancies in
1666-552: The north with Windy Hill Road with the addition of several new collector–distributor lanes and slip ramps to eliminate weaving. The original loop ramp that the flyover replaced, however, was left in place and remains in operation in the present day. The next modification occurred between 1996 and 1999 with the construction of the Cumberland Boulevard interchange on I-75 to the south. As part of this project, new collector–distributor ramps were constructed along I-75 between
1715-478: The north. I-675 is also designated as the Terrell Starr Parkway and also has the unsigned internal state route designation of State Route 413 ( SR 413 ). Beginning at its southern terminus with I-75, I-675 is a four-lane highway with a grassy median and frequently with cable barriers . Between Ellenwood Road/Forest Parkway and the route's northern terminus at I-285 and Moreland Avenue,
1764-457: The number "1" and increase numerically with each exit. In 2000, GDOT switched to a mileage-based exit system , in which the exit number corresponded to the nearest milepost. GDOT voted in September 2012 to raise the speed limit from 55 to 65 mph (89 to 105 km/h) on the entire freeway and, by 2013, to install electronic signs for variable speed limits north of I-20, to lower the speed limit when traffic or weather conditions warrant. This
1813-484: The parent route at both ends; and beltways , which form a circle that intersects the parent route at two locations. Some routes connect to the parent route at one end but to another route at the other end; some states treat these as spurs while others treat them as bypasses. Like the primary Interstate Highways , auxiliary highways meet Interstate Highway standards (with rare exceptions ). The shorter auxiliary routes branch from primary routes; their numbers are based on
1862-489: The parent route's number. All of the supplement routes for Interstate 95 (I-95) are designated with a three-digit number ending in "95": I-x95. With some exceptions, spur routes are numbered with an odd hundreds digit (such as I-395 ), while bypasses and beltways are numbered with an even hundreds digit (such as I-695 ). Because longer Interstates may have many such supplemental routes, the numbers can repeat from state to state along their route, but they will not repeat within
1911-411: The reconstruction of the concurrent section with I-85. The Top End section between I-75 and I-85 was expanded to 10 lanes in the mid-1990s by narrowing the lanes by one foot (0.30 m) and narrowing parts of the shoulders. Since its construction, most of the system-to-system interchanges on I-285 have been modified from their original configurations. Most of these were rebuilt or expanded during
1960-415: The same Interstate, some states treat these as bypasses while others treat these as spurs—see Spur route above. A beltway (also known as a loop route ) completely surrounds a metropolitan city, and it is often connected with multiple junctions to other routes. Unlike other auxiliary Interstate Highways (and by extension, all primary Interstate Highways ), beltways do not have termini; however, they have
2009-454: The southwest: going south to north, west to east, north to south, and east to west. An exception is that heading counterclockwise, exit 33 comes before exit 34. Atlanta Braves pitcher Pascual Pérez became widely associated with I-285 after he got lost on it while trying to drive to a game. On August 19, 1982, Pérez, who had just received his first US driver's license, decided to drive himself to Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium (where
Interstate 285 (Georgia) - Misplaced Pages Continue
2058-516: The system. In other cases, it may not be possible to use the proper number because the limited set of available numbers has been exhausted, causing a "non-standard" number to be used. A spur route 's number usually has an odd number for its first digit. It is usually one of the following: Examples include: Sometimes, a three-digit Interstate Highway branches off from another three-digit Interstate Highway. These spurs do not connect directly with their parent highways, but are associated with them via
2107-472: The three-digit highways they do intersect with. Examples include: A bypass route may traverse around a city, or may run through it with the mainline bypassing. In a typical 3-digit Interstate Highway, bypasses usually have both its two termini junctioned with another Interstate highway. Bypass routes are preceded by an even number in the first digit. Examples include: In the case of an auxiliary Interstate highway which has both ends at Interstates but not
2156-495: The time, much of the area through which the freeway now passes was still rural, but beginning to suburbanize, and the Interstate was initially intended to serve as a bypass of the city. The first contract for I-285, a 2.5-mile (4.0 km) section in DeKalb County that included part of the then- cloverleaf interchange with I-85, was awarded in June 1958. The 7.4 miles (11.9 km) stretch between I-20 and East Ponce De Leon Avenue on
2205-481: Was canceled, it was then planned to end at once proposed I-420 near Gresham Park . However, in 1986, I-420 was canceled for the same reason. So, its northern terminus is at I-285 instead. What would have been the interchange between this road and I-485 is now the location of the Jimmy Carter Library and Museum . In 1982, the entire length of the highway began construction. After several delays,
2254-432: Was heavily modified in multiple projects between the early and late 1980s that included the construction of separate adjacent carriageways for I-85 and I-285 in an effort to eliminate weaving and the addition of several collector–distributor ramps serving other roads. Until 2000, the state of Georgia used the sequential interchange numbering system on all of its Interstate Highways. The first exit on each highway began with
2303-434: Was to be funded by an additional one-percent sales tax over a 10-year period. Among the projects included in the plan was a new exit on I-285 at Greenbriar Parkway on the southwest side of Atlanta (between present exits 2 and 5), as well as major reconstruction of interchanges at exits 27 ( US 19 /SR 400), 10 (I-20 west of Atlanta), and 33 (I-85 northeast of Atlanta). The following exits are listed clockwise from
2352-425: Was to connect with I-485 / State Route 400 (SR 400) east of Downtown Atlanta . However, this would have destroyed many neighborhoods including Inman Park . Because it was thought that the road was unnecessary due to three other existing north–south Interstates across and around the city and due to community opposition , the highway was stopped by then-Governor of Georgia Jimmy Carter in 1975. After I-485
2401-528: Was widened to eight lanes in multiple phases as part of the Freeing the Freeways program at a cost of $ 355 million (equivalent to $ 759 million in 2023). The first stretch to be widened was the Top End section between Paces Ferry Road directly west of the interchange with I-75 and Chamblee Tucker Road, which began in July 1976 and was completed in August 1978. The section on the south end between US 19/41 and
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