Georgia 12, June 12, 2024

Crews Work to Complete Metro Atlanta Project

By Irwin Rapoport

Construction crews continue to make strides for the completion of the Georgia Department of Transportation’s (GDOT) $79 million design-build I-85 at SR 42/North Druid Hills Road project to rebuild aging infrastructure, improve traffic flow and improve safety for motorists in Brookhaven (DeKalb County), a city in Metro Atlanta.

GDOT announced that contractors finalized a temporary traffic signal and new intersection to the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta North Druid Hills campus at State Route 42/North Druid Hills Road on June 1.

As part of the I-85 at SR 42/North Druid Hills Road project, this construction milestone will support the future opening of Arthur M. Blank Hospital expected in late September 2024.

Officials also noted that the existing Tullie Road entrance will close permanently, with overall construction continuing into 2025. The project, which started in late 2023, is adding a displaced left turn for the westbound to southbound movement, constructing an additional bridge over I-85, adding a braided ramp from the I-85 northbound (NB) off-ramp to I-85 NB access road and replacing SR 42/North Druid Hills Road bridge over Peachtree Creek.

“Contractors closed the State Route [SR] 42/North Druid Hills Road bridge over North Fork Peachtree Creek for 90 days to safely expedite bridge reconstruction work,” GDOT said in a press release. “The bridge replacement is part of the larger Interstate 85 at SR 42/North Druid Hills Road interchange improvement project now under way.”

The project is constructing an additional bridge over I-85, parallel to North Druid Hills and a braided ramp from the I-85 northbound (NB) off-ramp to I-85 NB access road and replacing the bridge on SR 42/North Druid Hills Road over North Fork Peachtree Creek.

see GDOT page 4

The Biden Administration has directed $75 million to be spent on helping build a factory in Covington, Ga., to manufacture glass parts for computer chips.

On May 23, the federal government announced that the U.S. Department of Commerce and Absolics, an affiliate of South Korea-based SKC, have signed a nonbinding preliminary agreement to provide the funding under the 2022 CHIPS and Science Act to help advance U.S. technology

leadership.

The project’s purpose is to rebuild aging infrastructure, improve traffic flow and improve safety for motorists in Brookhaven (DeKalb County), a city in Metro Atlanta.

The Associated Press (AP) reported that the proposed CHIPS investment would support the construction of a 120,000-sq.-ft. facility in the town of Covington, east of Atlanta, and the development of substrates technology for use in semiconductor advanced packaging.

The proposed investment with Absolics is the first proposed CHIPS investment in a commercial facility supporting the semicon-

ductor supply chain by manufacturing a new advanced material.

The plant was first proposed in 2021, but Absolics said that it will now spend more than $300 million on a first phase, with plans to hire an initial 200 workers. The company could spend more money and hire more workers later, company spokesperson Kelsey Flora said in a news release, possibly bringing its total workforce to as many as 1,200 employees.

Construction is under way, and test batch production has begun, she added. Production is due to begin increasing in 2025, the AP learned.

The facility will make a glass substrate that is used to package semiconductors. Federal officials said the substrate will enable more densely packed connections between semiconductors, leading to faster computers that use less electricity.

see CHIP page 6

Cranes Do Heavy Lifting On GDOT’s I-85 at SR42 Project

from page 1

“The completion of this project will reduce crash frequency and congestion at the interchange of I-85 and SR 42,” said Kyle Collins, a GDOT communications program manager. “A displaced left turn [is being] added to the interchange to allow left turning vehicles and through traffic to travel simultaneously through the intersection.”

The DLT will reduce the number of conflict points and help improve mobility in the corridor.

“The project team is coordinating with the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta North Druid Hills campus and Emory related to the realignment of Executive Park Drive, as well as a new entrance to the Arthur M. Blank Hospital which will open [this fall],” added Collins. “The North Druid Hills Road Bridge [is being replaced] with a wider bridge that’s better equipped for increasing traffic levels in the area. The new bridge structure will also be beneficial for pedestrians with wider sidewalks and ADA compliant ramps at crosswalks.”

Bridge Work

For the construction of the new bridges, cranes are working in tandem to lift and place concrete beams to construct the superstructure of the bridges. The ample workspace ensures that crane operators and their teams can plan the lifts properly and not be rushed by limited hours.

At the I-85 at SR 43 bridge site, the beams are more than 100 ft. long. Both sides of the bridge had been prepared in advance, with recycled concrete fill placed on the slopes. The road sections to be connected by the deck were prepared to the point where the road base had been established, along with rebar. Once the beams were placed and the superstructure ready for the concrete pours, the paving crews would be in a position to use cranes with pumps to complete the deck. The bridge pans a small valley that does not have any roads.

The bridge site, not being close to highway lanes, gave the site prep crews the opportunities to conduct excavation operations to prepare the approaches to the structure. The work also involved preparing the slopes, which required serious planning to determine the sequencing and have the appropriate materials readily accessible. The slopes, although small, were steep at times, which stressed the need for serious safety measures.

Construction crews are making steady progress on the Georgia Department of Transportation’s (GDOT) $79 million design-build I-85 at SR 42/North Druid Hills Road project in Dekalb County.

Contractors finalized a temporary traffic signal and new intersection to the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta North Druid Hills campus at State Route 42/North Druid Hills Road on June 1.

For the construction of the new bridges, cranes are working in tandem to lift and place concrete beams to construct the superstructure of the bridges.

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Excavation Operations Include Preparing, Leveling Slopes

The demolition of the old bridge also made use of cranes, which lifted sections that were cut. The work started with the deck being removed, followed by the removal of the substructure, consisting of columns and piers. The material was removed rapidly, which permitted crews to install underground infrastructure rapidly. The solid planning was such that material for this work was placed in optimum spaces. The circular pipe was between three and eight feet wide.

Concrete reserved for creating fill for the slopes was broken up on-site by excavators, including Kobelco models with attachments.

For the road work near the new bridge, crews had ample space alongside the I-85 to work in areas that were free of traffic. In May, teams were able to work on sections of road as part of the interchange upgrade. On one side, there was a new roundabout prepared and side site crews prepared the areas for asphalt roads to help with traffic flow when opened up to motorists on the I-85.

In April, road crews in the Peachtree section were working on the construction of new exits and roads alongside the new bridge, which was open to traffic.

As the construction progresses, new sections of road and bridges are open to traffic whenever possible. Being able to accomplish this requires careful planning in terms of construction and coordination with GDOT.

The sprawling construction site is located in an area that is close to institutions, such as hospitals, large green spaces, businesses and some residential. In some cases, the work is taking place next to the highway and in other spots, large sections that crews and equipment can operate freely, with ample space for materials, field offices, equipment repair sites, and layout areas.

Equipment-wise, there a large number of cranes — crawler cranes and others, large excavators, various loaders and multi-purpose trucks, dozers, skid steers and other standard pieces of iron required to deal with many type of materials, such as long and heavy concrete beams for bridges, various types of pipe, fill and others.  CEG

(All photos courtesy of Georgia Department of Transportation.)

Computer Chip Part Factory Will Boost Manufacturing Sector

The federal CHIPS and Science Act authorized the spending of $280 billion to aid the research and manufacturing of semiconductors in the United States.

Atlanta’s Georgia Institute of Technology was involved in the development of the glass substrate for Absolics, according to the AP. SK Group hired a former researcher from the university to help commercialize the substrate.

“It is strategically essential that the United States have this domestic manufacturing capacity, and it’s a tremendous opportunity for the state of Georgia to lead the nation in manufacturing and innovation,” U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff, a Georgia Democrat, and a leading supporter of the effort, told reporters during the project’s unveiling.

SK Group also owns an adjoining plant that makes polyester films on solar panels, in packaging, and for other uses. Additionally, the Korean conglomerate operates a $2.6 billion complex to make batteries for electric

vehicles in Commerce, northeast of Atlanta.

Another Boost to GeorgiaÊs Manufacturing Sector

Because of the CHIPS and Science Act, the proposed investment also would support an estimated 1,000 construction jobs, in addition to the 200 manufacturing and research and development jobs in Covington. It also would enhance innovation capacity at Georgia Tech to boost the local semiconductor talent pipeline, according to the federal Department of Commerce.

Started through a collaboration with the 3D Packaging Research Center at Georgia Tech, the Absolics project serves as an example of American laboratory-to-fabrication development and production, noted U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo.

“An important part of the success of President Biden’s CHIPS program is ensuring the United States is a global leader in every part of the semiconductor supply

chain, and the advanced semiconductor packaging technologies Absolics is working on will help to achieve that goal, while also creating hundreds of jobs in Georgia,” she explained in a news release.

Raimondo added that the investment in Absolics by the Biden Administration “is helping accelerate innovation, advance U.S. technological leadership in semiconductor manufacturing, and generate economic opportunity in the Atlanta area and throughout the state.”

The glass substrates produced by Absolics will be used as an important advanced packaging technology to increase the performance of leading-edge chips for artificial intelligence (AI), high-performance computers, and data centers by reducing power consumption and system complexity. The products enable smaller, more densely packed, and shorter length connections resulting in faster and more energy efficient computing.

Currently, the advanced packaging substrates market is concentrated in Asia, and,

because of the proposed CHIPS investment, U.S.-based companies would have an expanded domestic supply of glass substrates for advanced packaging, an essential component for domestic companies to improve semiconductor applications.

While Absolics will continue its R&D work with Georgia Tech, it has also committed to working with and developing local talent through a partnership with Georgia Piedmont Technical College in Covington to provide work-ready education and hands-on skill training.

“This effort is an important component of establishing a robust semiconductor advanced packaging ecosystem in the State of Georgia and restoring the U.S.’s leadership in semiconductor industry,” explained Absolics CEO Jun Rok Oh. “Our new facility in Covington will not only enhance our ability to produce high-quality glass substrates but also create high-skilled jobs and drive innovation through our partnership with Georgia Tech.” 

CHIP from page 1

GDOT from page 4

The project, which started in late 2023, is adding a displaced left turn for the westbound to southbound movement, constructing an additional bridge over I-85, adding a braided ramp from the I-85 northbound (NB) off-ramp to I-85 NB access road and replacing SR 42/North Druid Hills Road bridge over Peachtree Creek.