Blasting for the Transform 285/400 project in Perimeter Center is scheduled to begin May 24 and continue roughly twice a week for six months, briefly slowing or halting I-285 traffic and MARTA trains during the work.

The controlled blasting will remove granite along I-285 westbound between Ashford-Dunwoody Road and Perimeter Center Parkway, according to the Georgia Department of Transportation, which is overseeing the massive project to rebuild the I-285/Ga. 400 interchange.

The blasting is scheduled to begin Thursday, May 24, 1:30 to 2 p.m. It will then continue roughly twice a week, on weekdays, in that same time slot.

When blasting happens, GDOT will have “traffic pacing” – meaning police cars forcing other vehicles to slow or stop – on I-285 westbound between Chamblee-Dunwoody Road and west of Perimeter Center Parkway, and on I-285 eastbound between Roswell Road and Perimeter Center Parkway. Traffic will be stopped on Perimeter Center Parkway between Lake Hearn Drive and Hammond Drive.

On MARTA’s Red Line, flaggers will “coordinate” trains, according to GDOT.

The exact work schedules may vary depending on the work and the weather.

GDOT said that properties close to the blasting are mostly commercial. All property owners in the area of potential blasting vibrations were visited by contractors and receive a free pre-blasting inspection if they wanted it, according to GDOT. Properties close to the blasting have vibration monitors attached to them by a monitoring company, according to GDOT.

The idea is for the blasting to damage only the granite in the way of construction, not neighboring buildings. As GDOT puts it, “The blasting is a controlled operation. The controlled blasting is not intended to alter the structure of the buildings.”

The Transform 285/400 project, which aims to make the interchange safer and faster for traffic, also involves many other traffic pattern changes, such as lane and ramp closures. The latest list from GDOT is available here.