GDOT: Reversible lanes almost finished

Late August or early September is the target date for interstate work.

Late August or early September remains the target date for shorter commutes on Interstates 75 and 575, as major construction on 30-miles of reversible toll lanes that make up the Northwest Corridor wraps up this spring and summer, Georgia Department of Transportation spokeswoman Jill Goldberg said.

“The opening date is very fluid at this time. We are hoping to be able to open the road to traffic sometime between late August to early September,” Goldberg told the Woodstock City Council in a Feb. 12 update. “After construction is finished in mid to late July, we need approximately four weeks to carry out the end-to-end testing of all the software, toll points, video systems, etc. And of course, we are always keeping a close eye on any potential weather situations like a hurricane or tornado that would impact work.”

The $834 million project is 90 percent completed, with the last major work being to finish construction of three connecting bridges at Interstate 285, along with final installation of tolling equipment, Goldberg said.

“That will be completed within the next month or two, and we’re down to what we call punch list items like paving, signage, striping and sound barriers,” she said.

The Northwest Corridor will be the third set of express lanes GDOT has opened. It’s part of the larger Georgia Express Lanes project.

The first tolled express lanes, also called “hot lanes,” opened in 2011 along Interstate 85 in Gwinnett County, and a 12-mile section south of Atlanta in the Interstate 75 corridor opened last year.

The largest tolled express lane project will be on the Interstate 285 perimeter highway, which will go through the northern suburbs from Interstate 20 on the west side of the city to Interstate 20 on the east side, Goldberg said.

Drivers using the Northwest Corridor pay lanes can expect a 43-minute shorter commute into Atlanta, according to GDOT projections. People not using the lanes can expect trips that are 16 minutes shorter on average, she said.

The express lanes will run south in the mornings and north in the evenings.

Those wishing to use the lanes will be required to have a Peach Pass, which are usable on Gwinnett’s managed lanes and the I-75 south Metro Express Lanes in Henry County that opened last year.

Drivers with a Peach Pass can also use the express or toll lanes within the states of Florida and North Carolina, with Goldberg saying future states that could one day be added onto the Peach Pass include Texas, Louisiana and Oklahoma.