A median down the center of Dalton’s north bypass is part of an overall reconstruction of the I-75 interchange at Rocky Face that could start as early as the spring of 2013.

Georgia Department of Transportation Project Manager Peter Emmanuel said the work also includes improvements to some of the surrounding roads, including U.S. 41. The project is slated to go out for bid in January.

“The department has estimated that the construction could take two years,” Emmanuel said. “I would say that anything less than 30 months would be a good, realistic time.”

Plans call for longer deceleration lanes on both the northbound and southbound paths of I-75. That will allow vehicles exiting at Highway 41 to separate from through traffic earlier and, in theory at least, slow down more before hitting the exit ramps.

A new, second exit ramp on the southbound side of I-75 also will let traffic headed north and west of U.S. 41 to separate earlier from traffic headed south and east.

Emmanuel said the total cost of the project, including engineering and right-of-way acquisition, will be roughly $56.7 million.

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