The good, the bad and the future of I-285 toll lanes

On Oct. 15 — the 57th anniversary of the completion of I-285 — the Georgia Department of Transportation fittingly announced the true start of the biggest expansion of Atlanta’s bypass since its opening.

The state has chosen the Top End Mobility Group to not only build the first 19-mile stretch of elevated toll lanes along I-285 northbound/westbound (outer loop) between Tucker and Sandy Springs, but also has received a Georgia-record $23.6 billion concession fee for TEMG to exclusively maintain and collect tolls from these express lanes for the next 50 years.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s transportation reporter, Sara Gregory, did a phenomenal job breaking down the deal in detail. Gregory, after an interview with GDOT Commissioner Russell McMurry, also wrote a shorter explainer with details on what tolls could cost and plans for future I-285 toll lanes.

When I took the initial news to social media and 11Alive viewers the day after GDOT’s monumental board meeting, a slew of commenters were upset with the amount of money being invested in road expansion when transit seems to be in greater need.

So, here are a few things to consider on all sides of the I-285 coin.

The good

By the time the entirety of GDOT’s vision comes to fruition, all of I-285’s northern half, above I-20, will have four extra lanes. That nearly doubles the Perimeter’s capacity in some stretches.

The I-285 commute, especially in the northeast stretch where toll lane work will first begin, is one of the worst in the city. In DeKalb, the I-285 and I-85 interchange, Spaghetti Junction, is ranked as the third-worst bottleneck for freight in the U.S., according to truck GPS data measured by the American Transportation Research Institute. The institute also measures I-285 at Ga. 400 as the 22nd worst, even after the completion of the I-285 at Ga. 400 face-lift, also done by TEMG.

The first phase of these lanes will be two wide and cover the stretch from just north of Lavista Road (Exit 37) to the Chattahoochee River bridge just before I-75 (Exit 20). They will interface with the under-construction Ga. 400 toll express lanes and the current high occupancy toll lanes of I-85.

Just as is true with the other lanes in metro Atlanta’s toll system, the I-285 express lanes will have dynamic, demand-based pricing aimed at maintaining trips of at least 45 mph or more.

And drivers who elect to use the I-285 lanes will no longer clog up the main through lanes, so all commuters should benefit.

Lastly, Georgia is not taking on the debt. TEMG is. This public-private partnership is similar to the arrangements used for other toll lanes but to a greater effect.

The bad

The main pushback I have read is that investment is being made in roads and not in expanding buses and trains.

This is very fair, and I asked GDOT about this. Basically, toll revenue cannot go back into the state’s main coffers or into the general transportation budget. That money has to go back into maintaining the toll lanes.

GDOT spokesperson Natalie Dale said these express lanes along I-285 will open a door for more reliable trips and for MARTA to potentially add bus rapid transit routes.

Money from these and the Ga. 400 lanes can also fund adjacent transportation projects in their respective areas, a broader reach, Dale said, than what funding from the various express lanes on I-75, I-575 and I-85 can do.

This is a good thing.

But to those in the Atlanta area who have begged for a serious stab at making MARTA and other transit better, seeing an 11-figure amount spent mostly on roads is disheartening, to say the least.

Transit, indeed, was a big part of GDOT’s presentation on the lanes, and there is great potential for connectivity. But a few more bus routes do not move the needle in a transit-thirsty region.

The cold truth is that no private company would offer billions to Georgia to build transit. TEMG offered it for the express lane project because they are very confident the investment will yield a tidy profit. And given the high traffic volume on I-285, driving in the express lanes won’t be cheap.

The nearer future

GDOT says construction on this first phase is slated to begin around late next year and not finish until 2034. The next phase of lanes on I-285 eastbound and southbound in this stretch and then on I-285 both ways between Tucker and I-20 won’t be complete until about seven years later. And similar lanes along I-285 on the west side likely will not see a builder chosen until two years from now.

Drivers, strap in. Construction of this grand I-285 makeover will cause delays for years and years to come. Hopefully the improvements to those in cars and in buses are worth it.