GDOT prepares to launch I-285 toll lane project
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Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
Coming soon to I-285 and Ga. 400 near you: toll lanes.
Why it matters: Beloved by free-marketeers and the companies who build the road projects and collect the tolls, express lanes will play an outsized role in the state's roads-first transportation plan.
- Work on the pay-to-play lanes through Cobb, Fulton, and DeKalb counties will kick off as the roughly $1 billion overhaul of the I-285 and Ga. 400 interchange winds down.
Driving the news: Starting Monday, state transportation officials will brief residents and accept public comments on the next phase of a never-ending effort to manage I-285's congested top end.
State of play: Crews are already at work on an auxiliary road to serve the project, the AJC reports.
- A Georgia Department of Transportation spokesperson tells Axios that procurement on the project's first phase could begin this year. Construction could take up to 10 years.
- The GDOT spokesperson says the agency is reviewing the project's timeline.
Zoom in: The new express lanes are planned for both directions on I-285 from South Atlanta Road to Henderson Road and up Ga. 400 to the North Springs MARTA station.
- The lanes — some of which would be elevated, others at grade — would be separated by barriers from other traffic.
Follow the money: Tolls will be set based on the flow of traffic and demand and collected using Peach Pass.
- Like other toll lanes in Georgia, a public-private partnership will fund the project. Private companies bid to design, build and maintain the lanes and collect future toll revenue.
Don't miss the bus: Transit and state-registered vanpools can use the lanes for free.
What they're saying: I-285 traffic during rush hour gets heavy, and the toll lanes are a new, quicker option and incentive to use transit, Ann Hanlon, the executive director of the Perimeter Community Improvement Districts, tells Axios.
Zoom out: The "top end" express lanes are part of the GDOT's Major Mobility Investment Program, a $10 billion road widening and toll plan announced in 2016 under then-Gov. Nathan Deal.
What we're watching: The state transportation board could consider a contract to build 16 additional miles of express lanes along Ga. 400 at next month's meeting, the AJC reports.
What's next: The first meeting will be held Monday night at Spring Hall Event Venue in Doraville from 4-7pm.
- The first virtual Q&A will take place Tuesday night.