I-95 Belfast Keller Interchange
Thomas & Hutton
Project Location: Bryan County, GA Category: Transportation + Infrastructure Started: January 1, 2019 Completed: January 22, 2021 Project Budget: $19,359,843 Project Cost: $19,980,000 Project Leadership Team: • Glenn Durrence, PE – Thomas & Hutton Trans- portation Department Manager • Doyle Kelley, Jr., PE – Thomas & Hutton Princi- pal/Project Manager
• Donnie Williams – Transportation Project Manager Project Overview: The I-95 Belfast Keller Road Inter- change project in Bryan County establishes a new gate- way to South Bryan County, opening the door to economic development, residential housing, and industrial growth in the area. This new route both relieves congestion throughout Rich - mond Hill and Bryan County and provides a more efficient access to Savannah and inland Georgia. At the Belfast Keller Road Interchange, Thomas & Hutton’s innovative design represents the first of its kind in Coastal Georgia, featuring single-lane roundabouts at the ramp termini. The decision to employ this innovative design was based on a cost and risk evaluation, deter- mining that this design would involve less risk for drivers. Thomas & Hutton served as the lead designer for the project, overseeing concept development, database development, environmental documentation, preliminary design, right-of-way development, and final design for the I-95 Belfast Keller Road Interchange. The overall project included the removal of the existing overpass and the design of a new bridge, interchange, and single-lane roundabouts. Thomas & Hutton’s team conducted traf- fic studies to determine the needed improvements to meet projected traffic volumes. In addition, the team also conducted a drainage study and survey and coordinated with their internal landscape ar- chitecture services to preserve the roadside environment. Impact(s): Experts predict that the population of Bryan County is going to double within the decade, making this project urgently needed. The new route reduces travel time to places such as Georgia Ports Authority’s Port of Savannah, which is the largest single-terminal container facility in North America. In addition to alleviating traffic congestion, this project will also stimulate further economic development and create an additional hurricane evaluation route. The project also pro- vides enhanced safety and connectivity to residents and business owners in the community, giving first responders more direct access to those in South Bryan County in the event of an emergency.
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csengineermag.com
February 2022
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