I-85 HOT lane toll equals record high for second straight day

By Mike Morris

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The cost of using the I-85 HOT lane on Thursday morning tied the record high that was set 24 hours earlier.

Enlarge photo

John Spink, jspink@ajc.com The cost of using the I-85 HOT lane  reached a record $4.70 during Wednesday morning's commute.

More Atlanta area news »

• Suicide call leads to pot bust
• Not all cheating the same at APS
• Sneiderman battle recalls 1989 saga
• Citizen Review Board under scrutiny

Wednesday and Thursday morning's price of $4.70 surpassed  the previous record of $4.55 set on Monday and matched again on Tuesday.

According to the State Road and Tollway Authority, the new benchmark to drive the 16-mile stretch of I-85 in the HOT lane was set at 7:11 a.m. Wednesday, and was equaled at 7:21 a.m. on Thursday.

The HOT lane toll is set on a sliding scale depending on the level of congestion on I-85 and in the HOT lane.

According to the SRTA website, “when HOT lanes become too congested, the price increases and this in turn reduces the number of cars entering the lane.”

The website says that the authority’s goal is to keep traffic in the HOT lane moving at an average speed of greater than 45 mph during peak hours.

"It is $4.70 because enough people are using the HOT lane near Highway 316 that the lane is slowing below the desired 45 mph," said Doug Turnbull in the AM 750 and 95.5FM News/Talk WSB Traffic Center.

"SRTA has been raising the price even more lately, because of the newly-opened entry point at Boggs Road, which allows in even more motorists near Highway 316," Turnbull explained.

By 7:56 a.m. Wednesday, the toll had dropped back to $4.20.