From the Desk of Sen. John Albers

State Senator Wants GA 400 Toll Removed

Albers said GDOT skipped Alpharetta in its community meetings–the city with five GA 400 exits.

There is only one roadway in the entire state that features a fixed-rate toll - GA 400.  This 24-mile stretch of interstate, which connects North Georgia to metro Atlanta, was funded entirely through a combination of toll revenues and state and federal bonds. In 1991, the State Roadway Tolling Authority (SRTA) Board approved the sale of $96.1 million in bonds to build GA 400. Despite the fact that these bonds were paid off last summer, SRTA decided to extend toll collections for another decade, causing motorists to foot the bill for additional infrastructure projects. The ongoing debacle of the toll road was further exasperated when the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) initiated a feasibility study, which is estimated to cost …

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Are GA 400 Express Lanes the Way to Go?

Alpharetta man says he avoids as much of GA 400 as possible during public input meeting held on Tuesday at First Baptist Church of Sandy Springs.

Jim Allison is not a fan of toll lanes, but he would welcome a free-flowing commute from his Alpharetta home to work in Sandy Springs. “I get on at Mansell and get off at Abernathy,” he said. “I could get on at Windward Parkway but the more I can avoid Ga. 400, the better it is.” On Tuesday, the Georgia Department of Transportation held its third meeting seeking public feedback on the Ga. 400 Express Lanes Feasibility Study. The meeting was held at First Baptist Church of Sandy Springs. The tolled express lanes would run 24 miles on Ga. 400 between I-285 and State Route 20 in Forsyth County. Similar to the express lanes on I-85, the toll for entering the express lanes would increase as congestion in the regular lanes increase. “You don’t …

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GDOT Wants Public Opinion on GA 400 Managed Lanes

Express lanes and HOV lanes are among the options the state considers to improve traffic flow.

The Georgia Department of Transportation is considering ways to improve traffic along the GA 400 corridor, including adding express lanes. Three public meetings have been scheduled by GDOT, but none of them are in Alpharetta, which has the most interchanges on the highway of any city. "Funny, they kind of skipped over Alpharetta, which has the most exits on GA 400," said Alpharetta Councilman DC Aiken during the March 5 City Council meeting. Aiken said he has no problems with a toll road if GDOT adds something, but asks how you can add a toll to a road that's already paid for by a toll booth that was supposed to go away that's now funding other things. "But to bill our citizens for a road that they already paid for? I hope you all go to …

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