Q&Amy: When will the I-85/385 project start?

Q: When is construction going to begin on the I-85/385 interchange project? It's been a while since the contract was awarded.

Amy in short: It's technically been underway for about three weeks, but it'll be another year or so before the orange cones and construction crews show up for the heavy lifting of the massive interchange renovation.

A bit more: It was announced in August that Flatiron Construction Corp. of Denver and Zachry Construction Corp. of Texas were jointly awarded the $231 million project that will overhaul the Interstate 85-385 interchange.

On Oct. 30, the Flatiron-Zachry team was issued a notice to proceed on the design phase of the project. They now have 410 calendar days to design the improvements, which will revamp and widen the area of the interchange.

After the design is complete, a second notice to proceed will be issued for the 1,035-day construction phase of the project. All work is expected to be substantially complete in October 2018, according to a release from the state Department of Transportation.

"While the majority of the construction work will not begin until late 2015, crews should be seen relocating utilities on the project site throughout the coming year," said David Hebert, SCDOT resident construction engineer.

The project will include the construction of 13 new bridges, including two flyovers to replace the current loops that connect the two interstates, the widening of I-385 to six lanes from Butler Road to Roper Mountain Road, the extension of the fourth lane on I-85 between I-385 and Pelham Road, the redesign of the traffic signal system along Woodruff Road, and the addition of turn lanes at Market Point Drive and Garlington Road.

The project is aimed at easing congestion, improving safety and lengthening the life of the interstates themselves.

The interchange is the third busiest in the state, according to the transportation department, with average daily traffic approaching 200,000 vehicles.

This transportation project is the state's second largest in history, following only the $631 million Ravenel Bridge in Charleston, built from 2001 to 2005.

The I-85/385 project is funded in part by legislation known as Act 98, which provided more than $500 million in bond money for interstate work across the state. Additional funds will come from a federal interstate improvement program and the Greenville-Pickens Area Transportation Study Committee.

Reporter Tim Smith contributed to this report.

Got a question? Send it to Q&Amy by emailing me at aburns@greenvillenews.com or calling 864-298-3822. You can find me on Twitter at @QandAmyNews.