A top concern among Henry County residents — the daily traffic congestion on I-75 — is receiving some attention from state leaders. Georgia DOT has budgeted funding to engineer upgrades to the I-75 Express Lanes.
The funding is part of the governor’s $1.5 billion dollar investment in Georgia’s infrastructure. It was approved during this year’s legislative session.
I-75 Express Lanes Upgrades
Georgia DOT has committed $10 million towards I-75 Express Lanes upgrades in Henry County. Specifically, the funding is for preliminary engineering. This will design future improvements to the interstate. Typically, the state hires an engineering firm to lead this process.
According to State Senator Brian Strickland, the funding will pay for engineering work to add two additional express lanes. The Georgia DOT state transportation board was presented the project during their July meeting. “[The express lanes] will not be going in the wrong direction anymore,” shared Georgia DOT Director of Planning Jannine Miller. The project, when complete, will provide motorists with bi-directional express lanes available 24/7. This will end the current reversible set-up.
A project schedule, estimating when we can anticipate construction to begin and how long it might last, is not yet available.
Toll Lanes vs Free Lanes
One may question why the state is not planning to construct additional free lanes. Adding free lanes does not solve traffic congestion. This is because of what’s known as induced demand. As more travel lanes are available, more motorists opt to use the newly-widened highway and it becomes congested again with traffic.
Secondly, building tolled lanes allows the state to bond the project’s construction cost. The tolls can then repay the cost to build the new lanes. Though a cost estimate for construction is not yet available, other upcoming express lane projects in Georgia have cost estimates in the hundreds of millions of dollars, and in some cases, billions of dollars.
About the I-75 Express Lanes
The I-75 South Metro Express Lanes opened in Henry County in January 2017. They provide twelve miles of barrier-separated reversible managed lanes. The lanes operate northbound in the morning commute towards Atlanta, then reverse to operate southbound in the afternoons.
The State Road & Tollway Authority is responsible for the express lanes day-to-day operation. According to their latest annual report, the express lanes saw more than 4.5 million annual trips in FY 2023. This was a 13.6% increase over 4 million trips in FY 2022. In addition, the lanes’ highest one-day usage was 19,852 trips.
Motorists opting to use the express lanes during the morning commute traveled, on average, 4 miles per hour (7%) faster than the general purpose lanes. The time savings are greater in the afternoons. Peach Pass users traveled 20 miles per hour (45%) faster than the regular lanes. Motorists paid an average toll of $1.84.
The express lanes construction cost was $226 million. A portion of the project was financed by bonds. The toll revenue then pays off this debt. In 2021, the state refinanced the outstanding bonds. They consolidated the debt with the I-75 Northwest Corridor Express Lanes in Cobb County. As of June 30, 2023, the remaining principal debt was $367.4 million. The bond debt is secured by future toll revenue.
MHF News is providing this article for free as part of our efforts to share updates with the Henry County community. Please directly support our work by subscribing today — get 3 months for $25!
Georgia Invests in Transportation
Georgia DOT shared a press release this week discussing the $1.5 billion increase to its annual budget. Governor Kemp recommended the funding in January of this year. State lawmakers incorporated it into the FY 2024 budget. The funding was broken into several categories to improve the state’s infrastructure:
- Airport Aid – $98 million, 372% increase;
- Local Roads Funding – $250 million, 117% increase;
- Capital Construction – $593 million, 58% increase;
- Capital Maintenance – $50 million, 32% increase; and
- Freight Program – $500 million, a new program.
The $250 million infusion into local roads was made available to counties and cities this spring. Henry County will receive about $3.1 million. Each city will also receive a portion of the funding. The county plans to award a resurfacing contract later this year to utilize their share. The county has approved two resurfacing contracts so far in 2024.
For capital road projects, Georgia DOT is using the $593 million to accelerate projects and manage cost increases due to inflation. The funding will advance twenty-four projects by a total of 43 years. The new funding for the I-75 express lanes is part of this category.
Georgia Freight Program
Finally, the $500 million for freight projects kickstarts a new state-level program. The funding will go towards eighteen projects to improve freight mobility in Georgia. Approximately 80% of the freight and capital construction funds will go directly to construction and shovel-ready projects. One example is the state’s recent contract award to build a single-point urban interchange in Conyers. The innovative interchange will cost about $79 million to build. The freight program will cover $76.1 million in costs.
About $316 million of the freight program will go towards projects in and around Savannah. The majority of this funding, $279 M or 88%, is to widen portions of Interstate 16. The Savannah area is critical to freight movement because of the port. The Port of Savannah represents not only a major economic driver for the state, but also a significant contributor to freight traffic.
More information about all of the projects selected to receive funding is available here on the Georgia DOT website.
Featured image shows the I-75 South Metro Express Lanes in Henry County. AARoads photo.
Be the first to comment