Are you an Atlanta commuter who lives in Tyrone, Peachtree City or Fairburn? Then this is bad news. The I-85 and Highway 74 interchange is about to undergo an $81 million long-term traffic shift.

According to the City of Fairburn, starting Tuesday, February 4 at 7 p.m. southbound lanes on state road 74 will shift left between City Lake Road and Meadow Glen Parkway to allow crews to remove sections of the bridge over I-85. There will be new lane striping and signage.

In mid-February, all I-85 southbound lanes under the SR 74 overpass will shift 12 feet to the right during overnight hours. Tree and vegetation clearing begins in March after the hibernation period for the tri-colored bat, which is a protected species.

What does all this mean? With lane closures and shifts, and looky-loos at construction,  The Citizen conjectures that there will be slowdowns both in entering and exiting the interstate. Citizens need to be prepared for delays on their drive to and from Atlanta, particularly at night, when much of the construction will take place.