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JUNE 2019 ■ www.ReporterNewspapers.net
GDOT toll lanes: Answers to
some frequently asked questions
A screenshot from an illustrated video released by the Georgia
Department of Transportation shows a section of the future toll lanes
along Ga. 400 over Northridge Road in Sandy Springs.
BY EVELYN ANDREWS AND JOHN RUCH
As the state plans for toll lanes on Ga. 400 and 1-285, controversy and discussion have
centered on some major unknowns, such as property takings and new interchange lo
cations. But there also has been some confusion about topics that are at least partly
known. The following are the basic answers to some common questions about the toll
lanes.
Where did the toll lanes idea come from?
More than a decade ago, GDOT began a planning process for Perimeter traffic relief,
known as “Revive 285,” that looked at a wide variety of options, including forms of mass
transit, before settling on a metro-wide system of toll lanes.
What is the purpose of the toll lanes?
GDOT says the toll lanes will improve traffic congestion by taking vehicles out of the
regular lanes, as well as by serving as mass transit bus routes on at least part of the high
ways. The Ga. 400 and 1-285 toll lanes are part of a wider system planned for the met
ro area, parts of which are already open on 1-75,1-85,1-575 and some other highways.
Is this one project or two - or three?
It’s easy to get confused about GDOT’s local plans because they involves three different
projects. While the Ga. 400 toll lanes and 1-285 toll lanes would be part of a single net
work, they are two separate projects with different construction timelines. And the ma
jor construction work currently underway on the Ga. 400/1-285 interchange has noth
ing to do with the toll lanes.
The interchange reconstruction, known as “Transform 285/400,” is essentially just
reconfiguring existing lanes, not adding toll lanes. GDOT aims to finish that project in
late 2020.
The first toll lanes project is Ga. 400, expected to start construction in 2021. The
1-285 toll lanes would follow in 2023. For added confusion, the “1-285” project actually
includes part of the Ga. 400 toll lanes between 1-285 and the North Springs MARTA Sta
tion.
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How would the toll lanes be funded?
GDOT is using a public-private partnership, which means that private companies fund
the construction and make their money back over time through the tolls. After that
money is regained, the toll revenue would be spent on “other transportation needs,” ac
cording to GDOT.
Will mass transit use the toll lanes?
Bus rapid transit, operated by MARTA, is planned for part of the Ga. 400 lanes and is
being studied for 1-285. BRT is being considered as a less expensive alternative to heavy
rail.
Why toll lanes instead of a MARTA rail extension?
Extending MARTA’s Red Line northward through Sandy Springs was locally supported
in recent transit plans, but ultimately abandoned after leaders in some other north Ful
ton cities said they would not support it and the sales tax that might fund it. Bus tran
sit was the consensus option, and GDOT agreed to work with MARTA on including it on
the Ga. 400 toll lanes. Rail on 1-285 was among the options considered in “Revive 285” be-
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