A faster connection to Interstate 75 is expected to move closer to reality in the new year.  The Rome News Tribune reported on Sunday that construction on the connector could begin as soon as this summer.

The Georgia Department of Transportation is scheduled to start buying right of way for the Rome-Cartersville Development Corridor along U.S. 411. The four-lane highway, which will hit I-75 just north of the Anheuser-Busch brewery, has been in the works for more than 30 years.

“We anticipate right of way in early summer of 2022 and construction in late summer of 2024,” GDOT District spokesman Joe Schulman said Thursday.

The route is currently undergoing an environmental review, and the Federal Infrastructure Permitting Dashboard puts the estimated completion date in mid-April.

More than $127 million is in the funding pipeline for right of way acquisition and construction. If all goes as planned, drivers could be on the road in 2027.

RNT