Express lanes on I-75 south off to a good start

If you’ve traveled south of Atlanta on I-75 recently you may have noticed (and if you are me, been considerably confused by) two new reversible express lanes that run about 12 miles through Clayton and Henry counties. Depending on traffic conditions, driving in these lanes costs somewhere between $0.10 and $0.90 per mile. Apparently commuters have found those prices to be worth it so far because usage has exceeded expectations by about 1,500 per week for the first six months of operation. The State Road and Tollway Authority expected there to be about 6,000 weekday trips on average for the first six months after the lanes opened in January; however, the number has actually been more than 7,500. The STRA predicts that number will keep rising as more riders get used to the lanes and the counties south of Atlanta continue to develop.

If you don’t live along the Atlanta-Macon corridor and are bummed about not having an express lane, don’t worry. Two lanes are being built on I-75 north of I-285 and another is being constructed on I-575. Future plans include building lanes on GA 400 and working on lanes for I-20 east as it heads into DeKalb county. Read a more detailed report from the Atlanta Regional Commission here.