Atlanta

Tomahawkin · June 29, 2018, 11:16:04 PM

I just heard GA 400 Handles 230K vehicles a day. Why werent toll lanes done after the toll booth was demolished? And the 400 toll lane project will take 6 years to complete. That's ridiculous IMO. Dallas did underground toll lanes in 4 years or so? I'm glad I don't live up there

Tomahawkin · June 29, 2018, 11:21:28 PM

Meaning I'm glad I don't live along the rich 400 corridor. Also I just considered that the MARTA Train extension will be a part of the toll lane project, in that They will probably coincide, and be built at the same time. Now I see why it will take 6 years to complete the toll lanes on 400???

Eth · July 12, 2018, 08:27:34 AM

The widening project on GA 400 in Forsyth County, adding a third lane in each direction, has finally been completed and the new lane opened to traffic yesterday. Speaking from personal experience, this bit of added capacity was badly needed.

Georgia · August 06, 2018, 08:14:37 PM

express lanes might not open up at the end of the month.

https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/wall-collapse-exposed-larger-problem-on-i-75-lanes/807645008

Eth · September 04, 2018, 04:39:39 PM

The I-75/575 express lanes are set to officially open this Saturday, September 8, per the Governor's office, and will be free of charge (Peach Pass still required) for the first two weeks.

Tomahawkin · September 04, 2018, 05:31:57 PM

Cool. Im curious how much it will cost to go one way on the new stretch from the Cobb cloverleaf to Kennisaw? I'm guessing plus or minus 20 bucks? Depending on traffic volume???

Georgia · September 04, 2018, 06:50:21 PM

Yep, i would say 20 would be a good guess.
If it is $20 for the full stretch on 75, that is going to be good value for GDOT/SRTA at about $1.25 per mile.

Georgia · September 10, 2018, 07:02:01 PM

I drove the express lanes going out of town this afternoon around 2:30.
They were sparsely used even as a free alternative but, then again, 75 was flowing at 61 mph out to 575.
I dash cam'ed my trip, might see if i cant pull the express lanes part out of the video.

I like them, but expansion isnt going to be possible as currently configured. One full width shoulder(i would say 6-8') generally on the side away from 75 and only a 2' shoulder on the 75 side.

Tomahawkin · September 10, 2018, 11:21:26 PM

My only excuse would be that not many Cobb residents have a peachpass yet? Most people who have the peach pass either live or have lived in Gwinnett county

Georgia · September 10, 2018, 11:35:08 PM

Quote from: Tomahawkin on September 10, 2018, 11:21:26 PM
My only excuse would be that not many Cobb residents have a peachpass yet? Most people who have the peach pass either live or have lived in Gwinnett county

the only reason I have them for my three cars is my wife drives the 85 lanes twice weekly.

happy wife.....

Tom958 · September 11, 2018, 06:20:57 AM

Some friends and I drove and photographed it on Sunday, and I've posted nearly thirty of the best photos at FreewayJim's Facebook page. I supposed I could upload some to Imgur and post them here, but I haven't gotten around to it.

We call it the Tollercoaster. Spread it around!

Georgia · September 17, 2018, 10:00:26 PM

Google Maps car was heading west on Cumberland Blvd going past Atlanta Road on Friday afternoon.

Georgia · September 24, 2018, 05:44:58 PM

I believe the live toll rates on peachpass.com are broken, there is no way it is $1.55 to go all the way to Hickory Grove Road from Cumberland Blvd.

Eth · September 24, 2018, 06:27:53 PM

Quote from: Georgia on September 24, 2018, 05:44:58 PM
I believe the live toll rates on peachpass.com are broken, there is no way it is $1.55 to go all the way to Hickory Grove Road from Cumberland Blvd.

(45 minutes later, but still not especially late...)

Google's showing traffic on I-75 as green the entire way. There legitimately may not be that many people feeling the need to use the lanes tonight. Contrast with I-85 (orange or worse up to Beaver Ruin), showing over $12 from Chamblee-Tucker to GA 317 as I type this.

Georgia · September 24, 2018, 07:54:33 PM

Yea, I just re-checked and it is still $1.55 to take the entire length of the 75 express lanes.

Traffic might not be bad tonight, but I forgot(i dont have kids) that Cobb schools(dont know about Cherokee) are out on fall break.

Georgia · September 30, 2018, 10:51:03 PM

I paid to use the express lanes tonight, saved me a lot of stress given that 75NB was down 2 lanes given a re-paving project starting at Delk Road. Well worth the $1.55 to keep my BP lower.

Tomahawkin · October 27, 2018, 07:10:42 PM

Drove by the 400/285 interchange today. Cranes are there, with some of the flyover piers a quarter way constructed. I wonder if GDOT Is planning on improving The Roswell road interchange as well as the Peachtee/Dunwoody road interchanges along with the project. Both intersections need huge upgrades, because the exit traffic at both interchanges @ 285 have residual traffic that slows 285. On second thought I'm guessing there will be collector/distributor lanes to help with those exits???

Georgia · October 29, 2018, 07:00:31 PM

Quote from: Tomahawkin on October 27, 2018, 07:10:42 PM
Drove by the 400/285 interchange today. Cranes are there, with some of the flyover piers a quarter way constructed. I wonder if GDOT Is planning on improving The Roswell road interchange as well as the Peachtee/Dunwoody road interchanges along with the project. Both intersections need huge upgrades, because the exit traffic at both interchanges @ 285 have residual traffic that slows 285. On second thought I'm guessing there will be collector/distributor lanes to help with those exits???

Sure will be, starting at Roswell Road on the westside of the interchange and east of Ashford-Dunwoody on the eastside.

http://www.dot.ga.gov/BuildSmart/Projects/Documents/I285SR400/I-285ProjectMap.pdf

Tom958 · October 30, 2018, 08:13:33 PM

Old news: Back in June, GDOT released a new rendering of the 285-400 interchange. I posted about it then, but it just now occurred to me to search for a postable link to the image. The biggest change is that the 400 mainline will now cross under 285 rather than over, necessitating a new bridge on the 285 mainline.

Here's the previous version. When I attended a public meeting about the project, one of the engineers in attendance confirmed my guess that the path of the westbound 285 to northbound 400 ramp was the largest-radius curve that'd fit under the existing bridge.

Tom958 · November 15, 2018, 11:39:01 AM

The Tollercoaster, Atlanta roadgeeks' name for the Northwest Corridor reversible express lanes, has gone mainstream with this article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Yay, us!

https://www.ajc.com/blog/commuting/tollercoaster-express-lanes-make-impact-metro-atlanta-traffic/dETPJfulaOA5D73xrq6vDP/

I asked the guy who wrote the article how he'd heard it, and he said it was at a GDOT meeting. They love it!

jdb1234 · December 03, 2018, 10:14:52 AM

Quote from: Tom958 on November 15, 2018, 11:39:01 AM
The Tollercoaster, Atlanta roadgeeks' name for the Northwest Corridor reversible express lanes, has gone mainstream with this article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Yay, us!

https://www.ajc.com/blog/commuting/tollercoaster-express-lanes-make-impact-metro-atlanta-traffic/dETPJfulaOA5D73xrq6vDP/

I asked the guy who wrote the article how he'd heard it, and he said it was at a GDOT meeting. They love it!

When I drove that stretch of I-75 back in March, I told my dad that I thought it was "Six Flags inspired". I must have been thinking on the same lines then.

Roadsguy · December 11, 2018, 11:00:11 AM

Can't quite put my finger on why, but I feel like they left a little bit of room for expansion here.

Does GDOT have any specific plans here or were they just playing it very safe with capacity when that runway was extended?

Henry · December 13, 2018, 02:38:04 PM

Quote from: jdb1234 on December 03, 2018, 10:14:52 AM
Quote from: Tom958 on November 15, 2018, 11:39:01 AM
The Tollercoaster, Atlanta roadgeeks' name for the Northwest Corridor reversible express lanes, has gone mainstream with this article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Yay, us!

https://www.ajc.com/blog/commuting/tollercoaster-express-lanes-make-impact-metro-atlanta-traffic/dETPJfulaOA5D73xrq6vDP/

I asked the guy who wrote the article how he'd heard it, and he said it was at a GDOT meeting. They love it!

When I drove that stretch of I-75 back in March, I told my dad that I thought it was "Six Flags inspired". I must have been thinking on the same lines then.

Those would also feel right at home on the freeways of L.A.!

(I hope Caltrans is taking notes)

lordsutch · December 19, 2018, 12:57:49 AM

Quote from: Roadsguy on December 11, 2018, 11:00:11 AM
Can't quite put my finger on why, but I feel like they left a little bit of room for expansion here.

Does GDOT have any specific plans here or were they just playing it very safe with capacity when that runway was extended?

Once upon a time GDOT had plans for a Toronto-style local/express setup on the north side (at least) of I-285, but that got NIMBY'd back in the era the Northern Arc was also killed; this design may have been adopted in case it was continued around the perimeter.

As-is the C/D setup that's already there to the west and east may eventually get extended through the tunnel, or the westbound tunnel may end up getting used for an eventual MARTA extension although the current planning is to run DMUs along the existing rail line through Clayton County down to Lovejoy, with an interchange station with the existing MARTA lines at East Point (kind of like eBART) instead of extending the existing metro-type system.

Tomahawkin · January 02, 2019, 09:42:27 PM

Its 2019. For everyone in GA, which other projects other than the 400 toll lanes do you want to see addressed or talk about or speculate about. IMO there are a lot of interchanges with interstates in the Atlanta area that need to be redone! IH 20 and 285 along with F.I.B. In Fulton Co. Needs a massive makeover. Its a cluster#### even on Holliday's... Thoughts???

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