Survey work at the intersection of Ga. 400 and Hwy. 53 will periodically shutdown traffic at the crossing Saturday morning.

Transportation officials said Ga. 400 traffic will be stopped for up to 15 minutes as surveyors take shots of the area beginning at 7 a.m. The stops will occur two to three times and should be complete by noon.

Traffic on Hwy. 53 will also be stopped two or three times during this time.

Teri Pope, a department of transportation spokeswoman, said law enforcement will assist the surveyors as traffic is stopped to ensure the safety of motorists and workers.

These plans are tentative and are weather dependent, she said.

The survey work to gather baseline topography of the area is being conducted in preparation for sweeping changes at the intersection planned to begin in spring.

Similar in principle to diverging diamond interchanges like those now in place at some busy Interstate 85 and 285 interchanges, the project is designed to move left-turning vehicles out of traffic's main flow by using a series of access roads and longer left-turn lanes.

This $8.9 million construction project would be the state's first continuous flow intersection.

According to information released in a Georgia Department of Transportation video, motorists traveling on Ga. 400 would follow traffic signaling devices directing them to drive across the oncoming lanes into new lanes on the far left side of the road.

Construction is expected to take 18 months to complete and would be staged so as not to disrupt traffic.

Once complete, DOT predicts traffic congestion will be reduced by 85 percent.

The project completion date is set for April 30, 2017.