I-75 Toll Project Revs Up Again

The Georgia Department of Transportation is moving forward with the addition of toll lanes alongside Interstates 75 and 575 under the Northwest Corridor project.

GDOT announced the schedule and new approach for the project Friday.

Gov. Nathan Deal pulled the plug on the $950 million, 29.7-mile project late last year because he did not agree with giving the contractor control of the road and the tolls in return for paying upfront costs.

The revised project will still involve two reversible toll lanes running from along I-75 from I-285 to I-575 and single reversible lanes running north from the I-75/575 split along I-75 to Hickory Grove Road and along I-575 to Sixes Road.

The tolls still will vary, rising as the interstate becomes more congested, like the HOT lanes on I-85 in Gwinnett County but without the high-occupancy requirement for the cars using the lanes. Drivers will have to decide whether the price of the toll at any time is worth the relief from the congestion.

What do you think of the revised Northwest Corrider project?

The project will remain a public-private partnership in which the contractor will be expected to bear some of the upfront costs.

But the state will retain ownership and control of the lanes and will repay the contractor out of the tolls.

“This is a vital commuting and logistics corridor,” Deal said. “Adding new lanes—and the new capacity they will provide—is critical to a continued high quality of life in metropolitan Atlanta and to sustaining further economic growth for the region and for all of Georgia.”

GDOT will look for a company or group of companies prepared to design and build the project at the same time while financing $95 million to $190 million of the cost.

The state will issue a request for qualifications from interested companies in June with the goal of creating a short list of potential bidders in August, putting out a request for proposals in December and naming choosing a contractor in 2013.

Construction would start in 2014, and the road would open in early 2018.

The project is not part of TSPLOST, the special regional, 10-year transportation sales tax on the ballot July 31.

Instead, the state will spend $300 million in leftover fuel taxes from past years, $200 million from the GDOT construction budget and $270 million from a low-interest loan guaranteed by the federal government under the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act.

More on the Northwest Corridor

• .
• .
• .
• .
• .
• .

For all the latest traffic and transportation news for Northeast Cobb, subscribe to Northeast Cobb Patch's free email newsletter, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.