Stretch of GA 400 at McFarland Parkway Gets Extended

Commuters traveling on Georgia 400 northbound in Forsyth County will eventually notice a stretch of road being widened from McFarland Parkway (Exit 12) to Big Creek Greenway.

The project will begin where the lanes change from four to two lanes at the McFarland Parkway exit. The total length of the extension will be about three miles, according to the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT).

Teri Pope, spokesperson for GDOT, would not confirm a specific start date but did say they expect work to start this summer.

"But we don't know that for sure," she said.

A completion date of January 31, 2013 is stated in a news release from the agency.

As for what time of the day or night the work will be done, there are requirements that will not allow contractors to close a lane on GA 400 during peak travel times, according to Pope.

"So for northbound that will be evening rush hour," she said. "But this work is really basically on the outside shoulder so it shouldn't impact the travel lanes very much at all."

The project, expected to cost about $3.37 million, also includes construction of the Abernathy Road northbound ramp extension in North Fulton County.

It's part of 32 new transportation improvement projects all across the state initiated by GDOT.