Interstate 285 East Express Lanes Project: A Major Atlanta Mobility Initiative
A mammoth, interstate toll-lane expansion project expected to cost billions took a key step forward last month, with the lofty stated goal to “transform mobility across north Atlanta.”
Now, on this Georgia midterm Election Day, it’s time to ask the people of the region how they really feel about it. And how much they’ll be willing to pay to avoid (theoretically) the northside's notorious traffic congestion.
The Georgia State Board of Transportation selected a private consortium of more than a half-dozen international infrastructure companies Oct. 15 to design and build the I-285 East Express Lanes project, a massive endeavor slated to be one of the largest in Georgia Department of Transportation history. The deal includes the Top End Mobility Group (TEMG) funding construction of toll lanes, eventually stretching from Sandy Springs around to I-20 in southeast Atlanta, and collecting toll revenue for half a century.
The project calls for 37.5 miles of new express lanes total, to be built across three phases. According to Axios Atlanta, the first phase alone will cost $8.9 billion.
Lanes will extend from Northside Drive at I-285 (roughly 11 on Atlanta’s Perimeter clockface) around to the I-285 and I-20 interchange on the city’s southeast side. In between, plans call for new connections and express lane expansions at Ga. Highway 400, Peachtree Industrial Boulevard (Ga. Highway 141), and I-85.
The first and second phases would be built simultaneously, adding more than 20 miles of express lanes in each direction across main population centers at the Perimeter’s very top end, with a targeted opening date of 2034.
The third and final phase would see toll lanes added in each direction from Tucker down to I-20, along with the branch off I-285 along Peachtree Industrial Boulevard, expected to debut around 2040.
TEMG’s designs call for 33 express-lane access points across I-285, which project heads say will reduce traffic delays by more than 3 million hours—a 27 percent reduction over GDOT’s base designs.
Beyond the nearly $9-billion price tag for initial work, drivers can expect years of construction delays, temporary lane alignments, and disruptions as structures are added, though TEMG states hiccups will be minimal and supported by overnight operations when needed.
The actual dynamic tolls for drivers around Atlanta haven’t been specified, but Georgia’s State Road and Tollway Authority would set limits. According to TEMG, the lanes will be designed to keep cars moving at 70 mph.
The private companies involved bring a track record of 15 similar North American projects completed on time and within budget, totaling over 1,300 lane miles in the U.S., in partnership with three different public agencies. These include the Interstate 66 express lanes in Virginia and TEXpress Lanes in Dallas-Fort Worth.
The financing and toll-collecting arrangement is similar to the $4.6-billion, tolled express lane project underway along Ga. Highway 400. A key difference is the Ga. Highway 400 overhaul includes a Bus Rapid Transit component connected to MARTA rail.
Perks for the state include a $23.6-billion concession fee that TEMG would pay to GDOT in six annual installments. Also, transit options like public buses and vanpools registered with the state would be allowed to use the express lanes, though current plans don’t include any new transit infrastructure such as stations.
As a next step, GDOT and TEMG are scheduled to sign a full agreement next month, followed by a year of finalizing comprehensive designs for the project. The tentative schedule calls for construction to begin in late 2027 or 2028.
For a more detailed overview, watch this six-minute GDOT/TEMG video primer.