Transportation Board to discuss toll lanes

The state Transportation Board is meeting Wednesday and Thursday at its new building in Midtown, with important issues on the agenda.

On Wednesday afternoon, state auditors are scheduled to address the finance committee on two separate audits of the state Department of Transportation. The first will address the state Right of Way office, the officials who acquire land for roadbuilding. GDOT officials have said they did not expect good news from the audit.

Then the auditors will give their latest update on a still unfinished study of DOT’s finances, in which they have found deficiencies in their accounting systems.

Thursday in its full meeting the board may vote on whether to approve more preliminary steps for converting Atlanta’s HOV lanes to high-occupancy toll lanes. In such lanes large carpools could ride free but solo drivers and small car pools would pay a toll for free-flowing traffic. Gena Evans, commissioner of DOT and director of the State Road and Tollway Authority, said the agenda item would lay out some responsibilities of the two agencies in the project, and would also go to the SRTA board for a vote.