Toll lanes along the top end of the Perimeter and adjoining highways would displace 21 residences and 44 businesses, an environmental study has found.
The Georgia Department of Transportation also would acquire slivers of numerous other properties to build the toll lanes. And the project would increase noise in the area and have other adverse impacts, the study found, though GDOT would build noise barriers and take other steps to mitigate the effects.
The toll lanes along I-285 and portions of Ga. 400 and I-85 also would reduce travel times by 39% for motorists who paid to use them and 8% for those who drove in the “free” lanes, GDOT says. And the lanes would allow MARTA and other transit agencies to operate rapid bus lines on one of the busiest, most congested stretches of interstate highway in the country.
Construction of the project is years away, but GDOT has disclosed those and other details of the $9.5 billion project as it seeks public input and prepares to finalize the environmental study. The findings drew a mixed response from area residents who attended an open house on the project in Dunwoody last week.
Dunwoody resident Robert Wittenstein wishes state and local officials had pursued a light-rail line along the Perimeter instead of adding more highway lanes. He worries about the impact of more vehicles on a stretch of highway already traveled by more than 240,000 each weekday.
“I care very deeply about this community,” Wittenstein said. “I think this is a missed opportunity.”
Dunwoody resident Jerry Adams was resigned to the project, which abuts his neighborhood.
“I guess, personally, I must say it has to be done,” Adams said. “I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt that they’ve done their due diligence.”
Details of the project come from a draft environmental study prepared by GDOT and the Federal Highway Administration. GDOT plans to build two toll lanes in each direction along 19 miles of I-285 between South Atlanta Road and Henderson Road. Barriers would separate the lanes from regular traffic.
The project also includes toll lanes along 3.5 miles of Ga. 400 from the Glenridge Connector to the North Springs MARTA station and along 1 mile of I-85 from the Perimeter to Pleasantdale Road.
Credit: Courtesy of GDOT
Credit: Courtesy of GDOT
The new Perimeter lanes are part of GDOT’s larger plan to build a 120-mile network of metro Atlanta toll lanes. The agency already has opened lanes along 67 miles of I-85 northeast of Atlanta, I-75 and I-575 to the northwest, and I-75 south of the city.
Next up are toll lanes along 16 miles of Ga. 400 in Fulton and Forsyth counties. The State Transportation Board is expected to approve a contractor for that project next month.
Eventually, GDOT also plans to extend the I-285 toll lanes to I-20 east and west of Atlanta. But the lanes along the top end of the Perimeter would serve as the wheel connecting the spokes for most of the network.
“We always knew the long-term goal was to have a connected system,” GDOT spokeswoman Natalie Dale said.
As with the existing “express” lanes, tolls on the new Perimeter lanes would fluctuate — the worse the traffic, the higher the toll. The idea is to discourage enough people from using them to keep traffic in the toll lanes moving at an average of at least 45 mph.
GDOT says building more “free” lanes wouldn’t solve the region’s traffic problems — they would quickly fill up as metro Atlanta’s population continues to boom. Instead, the agency says toll lanes allow it to “manage” traffic congestion — giving residents the option of speeding along if they’re willing to pay by the mile.
Unlike the existing express lanes, tolls on the Perimeter and Ga. 400 lanes would be set by a private company. The contractor would keep the revenue in exchange for investing in the project.
Critics fear a private company trying to eke out a profit would charge more than the state for using the lanes. The environmental study found the I-285 tolls would likely range from the minimum 10 cents a mile to up to $1.50 a mile, with the average toll expected to be $1.25 a mile.
GDOT says private investment will allow it to build lanes along a longer stretch of the Perimeter than it could afford to do on its own.
Dale said the company’s ability to set tolls would be limited by its contract. She said the public is not required to use the lanes and pay a toll, and transit buses would be able to use the lanes for free. And she noted the additional lanes will improve travel times in the “free” lanes, too.
The estimated $9.5 billion cost of the project would come from a mix of state and federal funding and private investment. The private share will be determined through competitive bidding.
“GDOT’s model leverages the private sector to help fund and finance this project, optimizing public funding while transferring the risk to the private entity,” Dale said.
Widening a highway through the highly developed top end also will require GDOT to buy portions of numerous properties. The agency plans to build elevated lanes in many areas to minimize the amount of right of way it must acquire. But dozens of residents and businesses will still be affected.
At last week’s public meeting, Mira Davis learned GDOT plans to acquire a portion of her yard in the Oak Forest neighborhood. “I came today to make sure my house wasn’t there, but there it is,” she said.
Nonetheless, Davis said she plans to stay in her home, which will not be displaced.
Even residents whose property is not needed will be affected by years of construction. GDOT has not announced a construction schedule, but it plans to finish the environmental review next year. The new lanes are expected to open in 2037.
Dunwoody Mayor Lynn Deutsch said the city has suffered through years of construction on the new I-285 interchange at Ga. 400. Now residents face more of the same for an even bigger project.
Deutsch summarized many residents’ attitudes in three words: “We are tired.”
Have your say
The Georgia Department of Transportation is seeking public input on its Top End Express Lanes project until Monday. You can find more information and comment at https://i285topendexpresslanes-gdot.hub.arcgis.com/.
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