Work began on the Georgia Department of Transportation’s (GDOT) $141 million I-85 Widening, Phase 3 in August 2022 with the design-build team of E.R. Snell Contractor Inc. and WSP USA Inc. They are on schedule to reach substantial completion by the end of 2024.
The project will provide relief to motorists and commercial vehicles by widening I-85 from two to three lanes in
both directions from U.S. 129 to U.S. 441. The southern terminus picks up where the second phase of the widening of I85 ends. Four bridges within the project limits will be widened — two bridges on Ridgeway Church Road and two crossing the North Oconee River.
“The project will create additional capacity for more reliable travel times; more efficient movement of freight; and enhanced mobility on I-85 in Jackson and Banks counties, a well-traveled corridor heading into and out of South
Construction Nearing Finish at $7.6B Hyundai EV Metaplant Near Savannah
The Hyundai brand logo, a stylized H slanting to the right, is meant to symbolize forward motion.
When it comes to the South Korean automaker’s electric vehicle (EV) assembly factory under construction near Savannah, Ga., the H logo might as well feature racing stripes.
Company officials broke ground on the 16 million sq. ft. facility in October 2022 and are already on pace to begin rolling finished vehicles off the assembly line by this fall, roughly the two-year anniversary of the project’s start.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported July 22 that test production is already under way in the main plant as crews finish construction. Additionally, Hyundai has hired and is training its initial shift of assembly workers. With a stated goal of introducing 17 new electric vehicle models and manufacturing 1.44 million battery-powered cars annually by 2030, Hyundai’s sense of urgency in opening what it calls the “Metaplant” reflects the automaker’s view of “the future of mobility,” officials said.
see HYUNDAI page 6
Carolina,” said Kyle Collins, a GDOT communications program manager. “The project sets the stage for the long-range plan to widen I-85 to the South Carolina state line and supports the development of technologies and workforce capabilities [and] complements other roadway and transportation improvements such as new roads, road repairs and bridge modernizations to spur statewide economic and community development.”
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Hyundai rendering
Company officials broke ground on the 16 million sq. ft. facility in October 2022 and are already on pace to begin rolling finished vehicles off the assembly line by this fall, roughly the two-year anniversary of the project’s start.
GDOT photo
GDOT Project Widens I-85 From Two to Three Lanes
GDOT from page 1
“The corridor is one of Georgia’s officially designated freight corridors and I-85 between Atlanta and South Carolina has one of the highest long-haul truck volumes in the state,” he added. “Commercial vehicles will be restricted to the right two lanes leaving the new left lane open for passenger vehicles.”
Substantial completion is expected by the end of this year.
New infrastructure covering 13 mi. from I-85 Exit 137 to Exit 149 considered future traffic demands. The existing lanes and bridges required constant maintenance service, so the finished product is a major upgrade and drastically extends service life while reducing yearly maintenance activities. The lifespan for the upgraded bridge structures is more than 50 years and 15 to 20 years for the asphalt riding surface.
So far, the DB team has completed the following: median barrier wall, sound wall, rough grading and drainage system. The remaining work will focus on asphalt paving, bridge construction, ITS equipment, fiber optic cable installation, installation of signing and marking and permanent grassing.
“Staying on schedule for bridge construction is a challenge,” said Collins. “[This is due to] maintenance of the existing roadway pavement and the original bridge decks.”
This is a tight work zone around the interstate mainline bridge areas since they had to be staged to maintain traffic through construction. Collins said even through construction period challenges, both Georgia DOT and the DB team worked through all issues by continuing communication.
Temporary concrete barrier was placed to separate the work area and crews from live traffic. The DB team has built the project in 1-mi. segments while still maintaining open lanes in both directions.
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The project will provide relief to motorists and commercial vehicles by widening I-85 from two to three lanes in both directions from U.S. 129 to U.S. 441.
GDOT photo
GDOT photo
New infrastructure covering 13 mi. from I-85 Exit 137 to Exit 149 considered future traffic demands.
GDOT photo
E.R. Snell delivers many projects for GDOT. The firm has a large fleet and maintenance is a crucial element of its ability to successfully complete contracts. GDOT photo
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Hyundai Will Begin Building IONIQ 5 EV Model at New Plant
Or, as Carter Infinger, an elected leader in Bryan County, Ga., where the plant is being built, said, “Our friends from Korea only know one speed: Full throttle.”
Automaker Wasted No Time in Starting FactoryÊs Construction
Hyundai is investing $7.6 billion at the 2,906-acre site with plans to produce up to 300,000 vehicles per year at the assembly facility. An EV battery manufacturing plant and a worker training center also are under construction on the site and are scheduled to open in 2025. Altogether, the project is the largest in Georgia economic development history.
The property sits along Interstate 16 behind a truck weigh station near the small town of Ellabell, about 25 mi. west of downtown Savannah. A highway interchange is located just west of the site and another exit is planned immediately to the east of the plant, with a projected opening date sometime in 2027.
Formerly known as the Bryan County Megasite, the Hyundai property was first prepared for development a decade ago when Volvo was considering opening a factory in the Savannah area. The JournalConstitution noted that state officials expanded the size of the site in 2021 after selling part of another nearby industrial parcel to Amazon.
Hyundai inquired about the property in
January 2022 and within five months announced plans to build the factory in southeast Georgia. Site preparation began that August and vertical construction started in early 2023.
Hyundai to Begin With Building IONIQ 5 Model
The Metaplant will launch operations with Hyundai’s best-selling IONIQ 5 EV model.
The assembly facility is designed for flexibility, which will move vehicles through the factory on a conveyor belt, the automaker has said. In addition, automated guided vehicles will deliver parts and perform tasks alongside workers, whom Hyundai calls “metapros.” The company’s approach is meant to allow for the production of more than one vehicle model on the same assembly line.
Officials for the company have said the plant will eventually manufacture vehicles for all three of its brands: Hyundai, Kia and Genesis. Hyundai already operates two other factories in the region, producing Hyundais in Montgomery, Ala., and Kias in West Point, Ga. The latter facility recently began production of the Kia EV9 automobile.
Hyundai is building a second battery factory near Cartersville, Ga., as well.
The metro Savannah facility could produce hybrid and plug-in hybrid cars in addition to EVs, according to the Atlanta news source.
The Bryan County onsite battery manufacturing facility also is meant to shorten the supply chain.
As part of the $1.8 billion incentives package that Hyundai signed with state and local officials, the manufacturer agreed to employ 8,500 workers at the Savannah factory, while its battery plant near Cartersville will hire 3,500 more people.
The automaker began hiring within months of announcing the project. It had reached 500 production workers as of February and is now above 850 total employees, the Journal-Constitution noted.
More than 80 percent of the initial hires — and 96 percent of production line employees — live within 60 mi. of the factory site despite a historically low unemployment rate of 3 percent for the greater Savannah area, according to the Georgia Department of Labor.
Hyundai recently paused recruitment of assembly workers but continues to seek engineers and other professionals. The automaker will resume hiring production personnel once it expands manufacturing beyond one shift.
The South Korean automaker is training its workers through Georgia Quick Start, a state program specializing in advanced manufacturing, in addition to coastal Georgia technical colleges such as Savannah Tech and Ogeechee Tech in Statesboro. Quick Start operates a training center in the Savannah suburb of Pooler and has leased
additional space to handle Hyundai hires.
Metaplant to Utilize Long List
Georgia Parts Suppliers
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Hyundai’s supplier network will touch many parts of southeast Georgia as well as other areas of the state, including metro Atlanta. Currently, 17 suppliers manufacturing everything from seats to climate control parts have been announced, with 11 of those located near the Metaplant.
Together, those firms are projected to employ about 7,000 workers and invest $2.7 billion in new facilities.
Hyundai has kept to its rapid construction pace on the Savannah area factory even as EV sales have underperformed expectations, partly due to federal electric vehicle incentive restrictions. Only EVs manufactured in the United States qualify for the $7,500 purchase rebate incentive, although there is a loophole for leased vehicles. The IONIQ 5s to be manufactured in Georgia will be eligible for the rebates once the battery factory is up and running next year.
As a result, the Georgia-made Hyundais are meant for domestic sale and not for export. This means the Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) auto terminal in Brunswick, the second-busiest in the country, is not expecting to see a Hyundai-related increase in business once the factory comes online. Instead, GPA is handling imports of parts and materials for the Hyundai plant through its Savannah terminals.
New Lanes Increase Safety for Important Freight Corridor
Both lanes were constructed simultaneously. Once the operations were in full swing, there were excavation crews pulling ahead, followed by site prep crews for the base and subbase, and paving crews.
Exits and entrances along the highway also were upgraded.
The bridge work is ongoing. The North Oconee Bridge is 325 ft., and the Ridgeway Church Bridge is 93 ft. with 12-ft. wide lanes. They are being widened from 2 to 3 lanes with a shoulder.
“The major challenge was drilling caisson foundations,” said Collins. “Crews for the most part work on both bridges simultaneously.”
GDOT pointed out that bridge deck concrete pours were well-coordinated, and each deck pour was completed smoothly.
The road and bridge work has equipment operators using excavators, dozers, rollers, cranes, loaders and other heavy equipment, which includes Cat models.
Typical days have many DB team and subcontractor employees on-site — five DB team crews and
about six or seven local subcontractor crews. The subcontractors are: MC Squared Inc.; JJ Dal Supply; Safety Signal Co. Inc.; Buffington & Smith Contracting Company Inc.; Jake Martin & Son Contractors Inc.; Campbell Construction Inc.; Kelly Road Builders Inc.; Derrick Pugh Inc.; G & J Trucking LLC; Palmer Inc.; Bedward & Miller Transport Inc.; MVG Trucking Co.; JSV Trucking; and Terri Harris Trucking LLC.
While official stats for materials excavated have not been finalized, approximately 250,000 cu. yds. of dirt has been excavated and about 75 to 80 percent of it was hauled off the site. The amounts of new materials have not been tabulated yet.
E.R. Snell delivers many projects for GDOT. The firm has a large fleet and maintenance is a crucial element of its ability to successfully complete contracts. Equipment is purchased and rented from various dealerships.
Recently, additional lanes were opened northbound and southbound from mile markers 137 to 143. The newly constructed third lanes going into service for a large section of the I-85 Phase III project signifies a major milestone and that final completion moves closer. CEG
HYUNDAI from page 1
GDOT photo
The newly constructed third lanes going into service for a large section of the I-85 Phase III project signifies a major milestone and that final completion moves closer.
