New Liberty Expressway on-ramp to open Feb. 3

ALBANY — Getting on the Liberty Expressway from Jefferson Street will be easier next month when the new westbound on-ramp opens as part of the reconstruction of the interchange, a Georgia Department of Transportation project that is ahead of the scheduled Dec. 31 completion date.

Contractor Oxford Construction Co. of Albany also will shift traffic on Jefferson Street to work on the middle lanes. The traffic shift and opening of the on-ramp are scheduled to happen Feb. 3.

Opening of the ramp means drivers won’t have to loop-the-loop to go west on state Route 3/Liberty Expressway. The old loop ramp will be removed once the new one is open. All traffic, from Jefferson Street or Philema Road, will use the new on-ramp.

Southbound Jefferson Street traffic from Philema Road to the overpass will be shifted to the right onto newly-constructed asphalt. Northbound Jefferson Street traffic will remain in its current location until north of Philema Road, where the inside lane will be closed. All northbound traffic will shift to the outside (right) lane. Message boards will be installed prior to the shift to alert drivers to the new traffic patterns.

The traffic shift also will affect traffic going to and from Telfair Avenue because a raised concrete median will be installed on Jefferson Street at that intersection. Left turns will no longer be allowed from Telfair Avenue onto Jefferson Street or from southbound Jefferson Street onto Telfair Avenue. Drivers will have to take Philema Road and then Jewel Street to reach Telfair Avenue. This change will be permanent.

Work continues on the new westbound exit ramp that will replace the old ramp. When construction is complete, the westbound exit and on ramps will be directly across from Philema Road, creating a four-legged intersection. The new ramps required construction of bridges over North Jefferson Street and the railroad.

The project also includes widening Jefferson Street from the Liberty Expressway overpasses to Philema Road – adding turn lanes, sidewalks, a raised median and bike lanes.

Reconstruction of the interchange in order to improve safety and reduce congestion began in 2013 and is about 62 percent complete. The construction contract amount is $13.1 million.