Edward Erb, consultantLane closures are planned for construction work at I-75 in Lake Park.

LAKE PARK — Lane closures were scheduled to start on Interstate 75 in south Lowndes County Wednesday for bridge construction.

The closures at the Exit 2 Lake Park-Bellville Road area are scheduled to last through Tuesday, Oct. 27, according to a statement from the Georgia Department of Transportation.

A total of 10 beams will be installed, five each over the northbound and southbound lanes. Installation will begin on the southbound side of I-75. The contractor will close the inside/left lane Wednesday to give the trucks hauling the beams (one beam per truck) a place to stage. Beams are scheduled to be set Thursday, beginning at 10 p.m. and should be completed by 6 a.m., the statement said.

Southbound interstate traffic will detour using the off and on ramps. The southbound inside lane will reopen once installation is complete.

The process is scheduled to be repeated Monday, Oct. 26, on I-75 North. Trucks hauling the beams will park in the inside/left northbound lane that morning, closing that lane. Beam installation will begin at 10 p.m. and should be complete by 6 a.m. Tuesday. Traffic will detour using the off and on ramps and the inside lane will reopen once beams are set.

The approximately $28 million Georgia Department of Transportation project to reconstruct and update the old Exit 2 interchange is currently scheduled to be complete in the fall of 2022. The original bridges were built in 1961.

The contractor for the project is Reames and Son Construction Co. Inc. and the bridge subcontractor is Southern Concrete Construction Co. Inc.

Terry Richards is senior reporter at The Valdosta Daily Times.