built construction plans for the restriping project have not been located; however, measurements from mapping software indicate the current inside shoulder appears to be six to eight feet, and the outside shoulders are approximately ten feet, bringing both below current design standards.
Figure D-4: 1950’s Atlanta North-South Expressway typical section 1.
Figure D-5: 1980’s Downtown Connector Widening typical section
HORIZONTAL CLEARANCE - INSIDE SHOULDERS Construction of a cap over the Downtown Connector will likely require construction of the bridge bents in the median of the Interstate. This will further reduce the width of the inside shoulders of the Downtown Connector. The previous technical study noted that the proposed bridge bent construction in the median will result in a reduction of inside shoulder widths of 1.25 feet in each direction. This indicates a proposed column width of 2.5 feet, which is on the smaller side for GDOT bridge construction. It is likely that the shoulder reduction will be slightly higher and probably be closer to a 2-foot reduction either side of the median barrier. Regardless of how much shoulder widths are reduced, approval of a design exception for reduced shoulder width will be required as both the existing and proposed shoulder widths are less than the current design standards. Opportunities may exist to increase shoulder widths in localized areas either by offsetting the proposed exterior bridge bents to allow for larger shoulders or by decreasing the existing number of Interstate lanes and utilizing the space to increase
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