Drivers along the I-85 HOV lane in Gwinnett County may soon see road signs flashing a toll rate. No worries, it’s still an HOV lane until Oct. 1.
That's when the HOV lane will become a high-occupancy toll lane, or "express" lane, as long as testing goes well and installation is complete, according to the State Road and Tollway Authority. In preparation, the state is testing its toll-lane signs and switching over other road signs from now until Sept. 26, according to state Department of Transportation spokeswoman Teri Pope. That can mean lane closures overnight, closing as many as three lanes at once. The project runs from Old Peachtree Road to just south of I-285.
The toll fee is designed to rise and fall with congestion, always staying high enough to keep traffic flowing at least 45 mph.
After the toll lane goes live Oct. 1, two-person carpools will no longer ride free. Three-person carpools will ride free, but they will have to register first. All drivers in the new “express lane” must register for a Peach Pass with the authority. The tolling system is electronic, and toll fees will be deducted from drivers’ Peach Pass accounts as they drive along, by the Peach Pass transponders stuck in their windshields.
SRTA has opened a new walk-in customer service center at 47 Trinity Ave. SW in Atlanta.
There also are centers at Department of Driver Services offices in Gwinnett County, at 2211 Beaver Ruin Road in Norcross, and 310 Hurricane Shoals Road NE in Lawrenceville. Express lane drivers can also go to peachpass.com or call 1-855-PCH-PASS (724-7277).
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