The wheels are in motion for new toll express lanes on some of the most jam-packed roadways in Metro Atlanta, as Georgia's transportation chiefs have laid out plans to unjam the notorious traffic gridlocks of GA-400 and I-285. In a move that's got commuters talking, the Georgia Board of Transportation is pushing ahead with the addition of payable lanes, hoping to ease the notorious congestion that places Atlanta in the top echelons of the country's worst traffic cities.
According to a report by FOX 5 Atlanta, the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) spokesperson Natalie Dale expressed that "The path forward for managing congestion within metro-Atlanta is the express-lane system." The agency plans to pick a contractor by fall and usher in construction by the end of 2025. The proposed toll lanes would stretch a 16-mile district, with two new express lanes in each direction from the North Springs MARTA station at Exit 5C in Fulton County to McGinnis Ferry Road in Forsyth County, and one lane in each direction from there to McFarland Parkway at Exit 12.
Drivers willing to pay the price could opt to zip through in these express lanes, while others, bogged down by their own financial ceilings, may see themselves resigned to the crawl of the non-tolled routes. GDOT asserts this system would not only cater to those choosing the express lanes but also would alleviate overall road congestion. GDOT hopes to foster a public-private partnership, handing the reins of construction, financing, operation, and maintenance of the express lanes to a private-sector partner.
A recent interview by Atlanta News First revealed the expected benefits of express lanes, as Dale explained, "We saw time saving across the board. So you, you certainly have that reliable trip when you choose to use the express lane system. However, you also get a residual benefit from the managed lane system because we’re sort of moving vehicles out of that when they choose to take it." However, with no final price tag released, estimates suggest the project will cost in the billions.
The project has ignited mixed reactions from the locals. Some, like Absirloa Anderson, reckon that it could be a boon for services like Lyft, which she has driven for a while. Others, such as David Glasco, lament the inequity of the lanes as a "money grab," hinting that they're more accessible to the rich. "Well, the rich will be over there. The regular people will be on the right side," Glasco told Atlanta News First. The toll's pricing will be market-driven, influenced by driver demand. Critics, however, like Kimberly Mitchell who expressed her dissent to FOX 5, are exasperated: "It’s just one more expense that we have to pay, and people can’t afford it." Whether for or against, Atlantans are bracing for a shift in their daily commute as plans for the toll express lanes accelerate toward reality.
