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Proposed express lanes along I-285, GA-400 | What you need to know

By FOX 5 Atlanta Digital Team
Published  July 8, 2024 11:32pm EDT
Atlanta
FOX 5 Atlanta

Express lanes proposed along I-285, GA-400

The Georgia Department of Transportation are working to create paid express lanes along Interstate 285 and Georgia 400 over the next decade.

ATLANTA - More toll roads could be coming to metro Atlanta with plans to build express lanes along Interstate 285 and Georgia 400. 

The Georgia Department of Transportation held a public presentation on Monday evening to discuss the project. 

I-285 proposed express lanes 

As the I-285/GA-400 interchange redesign project comes to a close, state transportation officials are already looking at the next big project for both those major highways. 

The plan would be to add paid express lanes, similar to the ones along Interstates 75 and 575 to the northwest, I-75 to the southeast, and I-85 to the northeast of Atlanta. And as with those express lanes, the toll would be optional to use. 

This plan would place those lanes from South Atlanta Road to Henderson Road along I-285, spanning from Cobb through Fulton to DeKalb counties, including Smyrna, Sandy Springs, Dunwoody, Brookhaven, Chamblee, Doraville, and Tucker. 

The express lanes will be elevated and separated by barriers from other traffic. 

The first virtual Q&A about the project will be hosted from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m. on Tuesday, July 9.

MORE INFORMATION ON I-285 EXPRESS LANES

Georgia 400 proposed express lanes 

Are tolls returning to GA-400?

A new proposal would see new tolls being put up along Georgia Highway 400, but it's not how you think it would be.

GDOT plans to vote during a meeting next month on the proposed Georgia 400 express lanes. These lanes would extend 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 McGinnis Ferry Road to McFarland Parkway at Exit 12. 

A GDOT spokesperson stated that a private-sector partner is intended to construct, finance, operate, and maintain the express lanes. GDOT has not placed a final price tag on the project. But it would cost "in the billions," according to a GDOT spokesperson. 

MORE INFORMATION ON GA-400 EXPRESS LANES

GDOT tried to build toll lanes three years ago. That got delayed when the proposal came in at $1.7 billion. The agency says it would like to pick a contractor by the fall and start construction by the end of 2025. Construction could take up to 10 years. 

These projects are part of Georgia’s Mobility Investment Program, instituted by then-Gov. Nathan Deal in 2016.