Three years after construction began, commuters on Hwy. 316 will finally get to enjoy a smoother ride from I-85 past State Route 20.

Eastbound traffic has now shifted to underneath the newly constructed bridge at Ga. 20 meaning motorists will no longer have to follow the ramp and stop at the traffic light.

Traffic on the westbound side will shift overnight tonight in time for the Wednesday morning commute.

“The whole purpose of the project was to remove the signals at Collins Hill and at State Route 20 so (Highway) 316 traffic could be free-flow through both of those roads,” says Georgia Department of Transportation spokesperson Teri Pope.

Crews have spent months digging under the new bridge which opened to traffic last spring.  The existing roadway had to be lowered 20 feet.

The $37.4 million project also included a new bridge at Collins Hill Road, which opened this summer, and two new bridges over the Colonial Pipeline which are currently under construction.  Completion for the entire project is May of 2016.

Pope says the project makes Hwy. 316 closer to being a true limited-access highway.

“It truly is an interstate-style facility now—no driveways, no access except for at ramps from I-85 all the way to State Route 20,” she says.

Pope says eventually four more interchange redesigns will occur further east on Hwy. 316 in Barrow County.