Drivers in northern Gwinnett just got a gift: a third lane has opened in each direction on an oft-congested stretch of I-85.
And they're not even the ones you have to pay to drive in.
The Georgia Department of Transportation opened over the weekend the new "general purpose" lanes on I-85 between the I-985 split and Hamilton Mill Road. The lanes are expected to provide relief to the stretch of interstate even before the opening of adjacent new toll lanes that are being extended 10 miles north from their current terminus at Old Peachtree Road.
Those lanes remain under construction but are expected to open this fall.
"We're excited to open additional general purpose lanes prior to the opening of the express lanes," GDOT project manager Andrew Hoenig said in a news release. "We understand motorists who travel through this region have been anticipating the opening of the express lanes and the general purpose lanes will improve their drive along I-85."
Drivers may now see test vehicles enter and exit the still-under-construction toll lanes at various times and locations, officials said. But they remain closed to regular traffic.
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