Georgia’s State Road and Tollway Authority Opens Georgia’s First Reversible Toll Lane

Georgia’s State Road and Tollway Authority (SRTA) made history last weekend when Governor Nathan Deal cut the ribbon on the state’s first reversible toll lane along Interstate 75. See video here by WSBTV- Atlanta.

“The more we grow in this state, and of course we've been a very fast-growing state, the more people come, the more people you're going to have on the roads, so it is an issue,” the Governor said, vowing to do whatever it takes to deal with the traffic that comes with a hot economy.

“When businesses decide where they want to come, especially if they're manufacturing businesses, [the question] is how fast can they get the raw materials, in and how fast can they get the products out.”

But that was a faint hope until now, due to a bottleneck at I-75 and I-675” that made the reversible lane a priority.

60% More Road Capacity in One Ribbon-Cutting

After a two-week grace period, a ride in the new lanes will cost 50¢ to $10.00, depending on congestion. SRTA Executive Director, Chris Tomlinson said those prices translate into a massive increase in capacity.

“We’re adding about 60% additional capacity all at once,” he said. “So it’s exciting.”

How exciting? Commuters interviewed by WSB-TV described the ride they’d become accustomed to before the lane opened.

“Brake lights with no rain, no accidents, nothing, just brake lights until you get to about Tangier,” said commuter Melinda Carlton.

“You can plan ahead and you're late to wherever you're going. It’s definitely bad,” agreed regular highway user Rory Evans. He added that the new lane would be a “great convenience, I mean, it's going to improve everybody's quality of life.”

With the addition of new tolled capacity on roads like I-75, SRTA hopes to double its current list of 300,000 account holders.

Get a first-hand look at one of America’s newest and most innovative managed lane projects. Plan now and save the date for IBTTA’s 85^th Annual Meeting & Exhibition, September 10-13, 2017 in Atlanta.

Photo courtesy Georgia State Road & Tollway Authority.