With the wave of his hand, Gov. Nathan Deal signaled the last toll had been paid on Georgia 400 just after 11 a.m. Friday.

Workers in neon orange vests then began waving motorists through as the toll machines’ lights were all switched permanently to green.

Some elated drivers honked their horns as they whizzed past the toll plaza without tapping their brakes for the first time in 20 years.

“The public has put their 2 cents worth in whether the tolls should come down,” Deal said. “We’re gonna let them keep their 50 cents from this point forward.”

Lane restriping and sign removal have already begun. Demolition of the toll plaza will start in January. The project is expected to cost $4.5 million; demolition alone costs $3.5 million. The project will be completed in fall 2014.

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