WOODSTOCK — Work on the new Interstate 575 interchange construction project should be complete by the end of the year, according to the Georgia Department of Transportation.

The diamond-shaped interchange project involves replacing the existing Rope Mill Road bridge over I-575, realigning Rope Mill Road to intersect with Ridgewalk Parkway, accommodating the new ramps and building auxiliary lanes between the new interchange and Towne Lake Parkway.

The project is 95 percent complete and on budget and scheduled to be finished by Dec. 31, said GDOT spokesman Mohamed Arafa.

“In fact, we may be able to complete this very important project slightly ahead of schedule if we get some more cooperation from Mother Nature,” he said.

The ongoing project, however, has not been without complaints. The construction work has led to some lane closures at night and on weekends, which some motorists say have caught them off guard and delayed travel plans.

Arafa said GDOT crews are doing all they can to minimize the impact of the project’s construction on the heavy traffic along I-575.

“These efforts include working in phases, doing some work at night and on the weekend, and informing the public in advance of any scheduled lane closures and other types of traffic interruption,” he said.

“Georgia DOT also understands that construction at this location may cause some inconvenience to the area residents.”

Additionally, Arafa said he personally attempts to publicize scheduled lane closures and other types of traffic interruption a week in advance.

On Friday, he said he was not aware of any pending lane closures.

GDOT awarded Marietta-based CW Matthews a $17.1 million contract last year to build the new interchange by the end of 2012. The company has finished tying steel and poured deck on the bridge, GDOT reported.

“We have been making every effort to bring these benefits to the community as early as we can by completing this new interchange /new access to I-575 as quickly as possible and giving it to the traveling public in Cherokee County,” Arafa said.

Information on lane closures may be found on the Georgia Department of Transportation’s website at: www.dot.state.ga.us.