As the City of Atlanta continues its quest to expand public transit, the state still has its eyes on what is far and away the state’s most important infrastructure – its roads. The Georgia Department of Transportation and the Atlanta Regional Commission in 2016 laid out their plans for expanding, repairing, and improving the state’s roadways, vital for commuters and truckers in one of the nation’s fastest growing states.
Paying for all these projects is naturally very expensive. When the 2012 TSPLOST, which would have funded a wide array of transportation projects across the state, (a list too vague for voters apparently) failed miserably, the state realized it would have to look elsewhere for funding. With an estimated $23.5 billion needed just to maintain current roads and bridges over the next quarter decade, and billions more needed for new projects, express lanes emerged as an idea to kill multiple birds with one stone.
Currently just in and around metro-Atlanta, express lanes, utilizing the Peach Pass system, offer open lanes to drivers willing to pay a toll. Gone are the days of toll booths, (thank god) and standard HOV lanes, now skipping traffic will be as easy as calling a number, visiting a website, or downloading an app.
Already three projects are underway – an extension of the express lane on I-85 north of Atlanta, another on I-75 and I-575, and a third on I-85 south of the city primarily in Henry County. Even more projects are planned over the next 10 years, when you can expect to see express lanes on I-285, 400, and further up I-85.
Similar projects have proven popular and successful in areas with similar commuter density, including Washington D.C. and Los Angeles. Bringing in vital transportation money by taxing drivers willing to pay a premium to avoid traffic? Seems like a win/win for Georgia and its citizens.
