ATLANTA — The Georgia Department of Transportation is proposing new express toll lanes on Interstate-285 between Mt. Wilkinson Parkway in Cobb County and Benjamin E. Mays Drive in Fulton County.
GDOT officials are holding an open house on Wednesday to give the public their chance to voice opinions and concerns at the Emma Darnell Aviation Museum and Conference Center.
The proposed project aims to add two barrier-separated express lanes in each direction along a 10-mile stretch of I-285.
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The initiative is expected to cost approximately $3.5 billion for design and construction, with a private sector partner maintaining the lanes in exchange for future toll revenue.
“This is going to operate very similar to the existing express lanes that we have. There will be a dynamic pricing mechanism in place depending on what the congestion is,” Kyle Collins, P3 Communications Program Manager at GDOT, told Channel 2’s Audrey Washington.
GDOT believes the new lanes will shorten commute times and improve overall operations along the busy corridor.
The State Road and Tollway Authority, which manages pricing on Georgia’s express lanes, has set a minimum toll of 10 cents per mile, with a minimum charge of 50 cents per trip during low-demand periods.
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Some drivers say they’re willing to pay almost anything to get around the I-285 rush hour traffic.
“Yeah, if I have to, especially the way traffic is sometimes,” driver Malcolm Moore said.
But others don’t want the additional costs.
“I think you should be able to leave in time to get where you’re going and not have to worry about rushing,” driver Laura Attaway said.
The potential toll lanes are still in the proposal stages. There’s no word on when they could be in place if approved.
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