The first project to be funded from the Ga. 400 toll extension is on its way this weekend, according to state officials.
The state Department of Transportation plans to repaint some of the lines on the road at the southbound junction of I-85 and Ga. 400 in Buckhead, in order to make it easier and safer for Ga. 400 traffic to merge.
Work should begin Sunday and be done before rush hour begins Monday, according to the DOT.
It’s a modest project -- ringing up at approximately $50,000, according to the DOT -- but an important one, according to the agency.
Right now, traffic on Ga. 400 drops from three lanes to one in a short period of time before it merges with I-85, according to DOT spokeswoman Jill Goldberg. This project will take away one of I-85’s lanes sooner -- the far right lane -- so that Ga. 400 traffic can maintain two lanes for longer. That should make merging safer, according to the DOT. The Ga. 400 right exit lane will end at the same location where it ends today.
The far right lane of I-85 southbound will be painted out from just south of Exit 86 to the Ga. 400 on-ramp.
Through traffic on I-85 will then have three regular lanes plus the HOV lane.
About 60 percent of the traffic there comes from I-85, and 40 percent comes from Ga. 400, Goldberg said.
Although the toll extension doesn’t start until summer, the State Road and Tollway Authority has already borrowed the money that the tolls are expected to repay. It is expected to fund several Ga. 400 projects, including a significant rebuild of the interchange with I-85.
For more information about this weekend's project, see a video on the DOT website at dot.ga.gov.
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