Northwest Corridor Express lanes expected to be open this summer

Those new toll lanes on I-75 and I-575 in Cobb and Cher- okee counties are expected to open this summer.

In anticipation, the state is encouraging commuters to sign up for the Peach Passes they’ll need to use the lanes. The Northwest Corridor

Express Lanes will be reversible — open to traffic heading into Atlanta in the morning and to traffic heading out of town in the afternoon.

The tolls will be adjustable – as traffic increases, so does

the toll. The idea of raising the price is to discourage enough people from using them to keep traffic moving at 45 mph.

To use the lanes, you’ll need a Peach Pass — a sticker attached to your car that allows the state to charge the toll electronically.

The State Road and Toll- way Authority will attend several community events this month to sign up com- muters for the pass: ■ Saturday: Canton Festival of the Arts.

■May 20: Atlanta United vs. New York Red Bulls game.

The Northwest Corridor- Express Lanes will stretch 30 miles on I-75 and I-575 northeast of Atlanta.

State transportation offi- cials say the limited access “express lanes” will whisk drivers from Acworth or Can- ton to the Perimeter in min- utes, ular The lanes even project if is traffic at a is standstill. in part the of reg- a planned of metro Atlanta 120-mile toll system lanes that state transportation officials say will make commut

ing easier and more predictable for those willing to pay mile.

That system already exists by on County and tually, the parts Henry of it the and will of I-85 counties. Perimeter include I-75 in in Gwinnett Clayton the Even- top half and Ga. 400. The $834 million Northwest Corridor is the longest leg of that system to date. And it’s already captivated motorists stuck in stop-and-go traffic.

PHIL SKINNER / AJC The most expensive highway construction project in Georgia history — the Northwest Corridor Express Lanes in Cobb and Cherokee counties — is near completion.