New express lanes to ease taxpayer toll

tlanta Braves’ fans still chuckle about Pascual Perez, who missed his pitching start for the Braves after getting lost on Interstate 285.

It was August 1982, and the 25-year-old drove around the 64-mile beltway that encircles Atlanta several times in search of Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. He arrived 10 minutes after the game started and earned the nickname “Perimeter Pascual” and “I-285.”

Today, Perez would earn envy for arriving only 10 minutes late, even with the new Braves’ stadium outside I-285. The “Perimeter” can be a parking lot, an accordion or a bottleneck, depending on time and location.

Development and population growth have overwhelmed I-285, which began construction in 1957 and opened in October 1969. Local freight trucks may use the interstates inside I-285; all others must use I-285, originally intended as a bypass. Today, local traffic uses it as much, if not more than, through traffic.

Plans for an outer perimeter highway, which would have allowed more through traffic to bypass metro Atlanta, were scrapped around 2002.

At a June meeting of the Dalton League of Women Voters, the conversation turned to the Northwest Corridor Express Lanes, 17 miles of toll lanes alongside I-75/575 north of Atlanta that reverse direction daily. One attendee wondered why the lanes were not bidirectional.

The answer, of course, is that Georgia, having opted to fund construction and operation of that project, sought to meet the greatest need at the lowest cost. With traffic mostly inbound toward Atlanta weekday mornings and outbound in the afternoon, using the same lanes and switching travel direction helped cut construction costs while maximizing benefits.

I-285, on the other hand, is a continuous loop of heavy traffic in both directions. Congestion builds at the interchanges, among the nation’s 10 worst bottlenecks. Wrecks are commonplace as trucks, passenger vehicles and motorcycles mingle, and resulting delays affect both sides, in no small part because of “rubberneckers.”

With lane expansion constrained, the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) turned to technology to relieve congestion: dynamic speed limit signs, overhead real-time traffic alerts, and the indispensable HERO units (Highway Emergency Response Operators) to clear wrecks and breakdowns.

Capitalizing on the success of existing toll projects, the GDOT has unveiled its most promising plan yet to improve mobility and increase capacity on I-285: a public-private partnership (PPP) allowing a private company to design, build and operate toll lanes on the northside, between I-20 East and I-20 West. While the state is working toward a seamless toll network in the metro area, existing toll projects are operated by the state.

The private contractor would recoup costs through a 50-year contract that gives it the ability to set and collect tolls on the new lanes “within the contract criteria established” by the state. Overhead transponders will use the Peach Pass; tolls will be market-based, changing with travel conditions to provide reliable trip times. Transit vehicles will travel free, offering riders the enormous trip time savings demonstrated in other toll lane corridors.

Georgians can expect improved safety: two barrier-separated, dedicated lanes in each direction along the entire project. Previously, the state could afford only one lane in each direction at the opposite ends of the project (much like the I-85 North toll lanes). Only the top end of I-285 would have two lanes in each direction, barrier-separated.

GDOT cites “the opportunity for more innovative solutions to address congestion and mobility,” including the potential for more access points. Furthermore, GDOT notes, this “will shift more financial burden from the State and will result in a reduction in public funding commitments for the projects over future decades.”

There’s more promise in this PPP project for users. Most important, the private sector will expedite mobility in metro Atlanta while reducing the burden on all Georgia’s taxpayers. It’s GDOT’s responsibility to educate motorists and craft a thoughtful, performance-based contract that preserves “customer” service and protects taxpayers. On the state’s watch, clogged drains caused flooding that has shut down the I-75/575 toll lanes several times in recent years.

This PPP model has operated successfully internationally for decades. Georgia will own the lanes. The operator will maintain them. Motorists will have a choice. Some roads – and expedited improvements – are more valuable than others. This is one.

GDOT looks to expand I-285 Express Lanes with greater role of private partners

Georgia plans to expand its use of private funding for new toll roads along the top end of I-285. The result is to be a network of two-lane tollways in each direction all the way from near I-20 East to near I-20 West.

GDOT proposes to ease traffic congestion along I-285 near its interchanges with I-20, on both sides of town, by expanding the role of private partners that could build two Express Lanes instead of one in these areas. Credit: David Pendered

This plan, unveiled Wedneday with the support of GDOT Commissioner Russell McMurry, expands the existing tollway plan and role of the private sector. It would replace the planned one-lane Express Lane with two-lane Express Lanes for for portions of the I-285 from I-20 to I-85 on the east and I-20 to I-75 on the west. The segment in between these areas already was programmed at two lanes in each direction.

In addition, these new tollways, which GDOT has named Express Lanes, are to be very well maintained because the private partner will be responsible for maintenance. The incentive to maintain a state of good repair is the toll collected from drivers who choose to pay for the convenience of a less-congested trip than is available on the general roadway, according to Meg Pirkle, chief engineer for the Georgia Department of Transportation.

The major change to GDOT’s existing public private partnership program is the addition of maintenance to the duties of the private partner. In exchange for assuming the job of maintaining a road surface that’s likely to be heavily used, and thus subject to tremendous wear, the length of contract is to be extended from 35 years to 50 years. The extra 15 years is to provide time for the partners to recover costs and make a profit for investors.

The increased reliance on the private sector to fund roadway improvements arrives, coincidentally, as Congress appears to be locked in debate over funding the Biden administration’s infrastructure proposal. The Express Lane projects were already publicly funded so the decision to change models wasn’t tied to the infrastructure bill. Rather, the purpose to further leverage toll funding to pay for the toll lanes, Pirkel said.

“We have a unique opportunity in this heavily congested corridor,” Pirkel said. “With the volume and demand, present and projected, these projects have the strong potential to optimize private funding. The state needs to take advantage of that.”

Meg Pirkle

Pirkel presented the new concept Wednesday at a committee meeting of GDOT’s board. GDOT’s full board doesn’t need to act on the recommendation in order for the staff to pursue it. GDOT and SRTA are to work closely together to deliver the project using the existing authorities of each agency.

“At the end of the day, it’s more project, more value, for less public dollars,” Pirkle said as she closed her presentation.

GDOT boardmember Kevin Abel, who represents a district north and west of Sandy Springs, questioned the wisdom of signing a 50-year deal. The private partners may not flex their business model if GDOT wants to increase the use of transit and electric vehicles on the Express Lanes, he said.

“Incentivizing the use of transit on 285 would work against the [return on investment] calculations of the developer,” Abel said. “I want to make sure that, if we do want to see BRT increase transit usage, we stipulate that early on,” Abel said.

Abel endorsed the concepts of transit in the region in a guest column that appeared March 14 in SaportaReport.com.

Pirkle said the comments by Abel and other board members will be included in conversations with SRTA as the project moves forward.

Russell McMurry

McMurry described his supports the proposal in a statement:

• “Georgia has seen tremendous success and adoption of its established express lanes, and we continue to make significant strides in delivering projects included in our Major Mobility Investment Program (MMIP).

• “By updating the P3 delivery model we can deliver these multi-modal projects along one of the nation’s busiest and most congested corridors, ultimately delivering far more value to all users while lessening the financial responsibility for the state. We’ve seen the success of similarly delivered P3 projects in other states, including Texas and Virginia. This is an innovative means of delivering key infrastructure for Georgia.”

Drivers who use the new toll lanes will not notice any change in how they use ethe new lanes. The Peach Pass will continue be utilized for motorists and transit who choose to use the Express Lanes. The private partner, or partners, will collect fees on the I-285 Express Lanes from tolls that they set within contract limits established by GDOT and SRTA. The other express lanes in the region will collect fees that are to be set by GDOT and SRTA, the State Road and Tollway Authority.

The construction schedule and potential opening dates are to be discussed at an industry forum GDOT intends to convene later this year.

The proposal to expand the role of the private sector would enable two Express Lanes to be built in the segments of I-285 marked in green and purple on this map. Credit: GDOT

GDOT’s new plan is to build two-lane tollways all the way around Top End I-285, stretching from near I-20 West to I-20 East. The tollways will be new lanes in the existing highway corridor, possibly elevated in places, a GDOT official said. The Express Lanes will be separated by a barrier from the general travel lanes, Pirkle said. The barrier will improve safety in the Express Lanes and encourage higher speeds from drivers who tend to match their speed to the vehicles in the congested general lanes, she said.

The segments affected by the proposed expansion start near the I-20 interchanges on the east and west sides of town. The new plan is to install two-lane Express Lanes that are tolled in each direction of I-285 starting near I-20 and stretching from I-20 on the west side and I-20 on the east side.

GDOT’s approach of having the private sector design, build, finance, operate and maintain the new Express Lanes is intended to accomplish a number of objectives, including:

• Improve long-term maintenance, which the American Society of Civil Engineers has identified as a significantly underfunded aspect of mobility all across the nation. ASCE rated Georgia’s road a “C+” in 2019, the latest report;

• Increase the potential for future Express Lane access, including the frequently gridlocked Stone Mountain Freeway;

• Ensure that transit lanes contemplated by MARTA and the ATL, the state authority that manages transit funding in the Atlanta region, are factored into the design.