COMMUNITY
GDOT: Faster speeds, less wasted
fuel a result of new express lanes
Vehicles going east on Hickory Grove Road approach the access point onto the Northwest Corridor Express Lanes.
Staff reports
If the workday trip times on Interstates
75 and 575 through Cobb have
seemed faster on average, chances are
they have been.
The Northwest Corridor Express
Lanes, the nearly 30 miles of tolled
reversible express lanes that run along
Interstates 75 and 575 in Cobb and
Cherokee counties, have attracted
through about mid-August more than
6.1 million trips from drivers since
opening in September 2018. Additional
data provided by Georgia Department
of Transportation spokesperson Natalie
Dale shows drivers using the lanes have
posted speeds 30% faster than motorists
remaining in the general purpose
lanes of the two interstates, leading to
shorter drive times during the morning
and evening rush hours.
26 FACTBOOK 2020
“We are exceeding our projected
trip count and are on track to reach 7
million trips by the one-year anniversary,”
Dale said, adding that weekdays,
excluding holidays, had shown a daily
average of 26,066 trips.
“It’s up to interpretation but we
believe they are performing so well
because people are seeing the benefits
of using the express lanes mainly
providing more reliable trips times,”
Dale added. “They have also improved
general purpose traffic, which was
unexpected.”
Drivers who wish to use the toll
lanes must have a “Peach Pass,” a
transponder in the form of a small
electronic sticker that allows tolls to
be collected electronically and automatically
without requiring a driver to
slow down or stop.
Toll rates are determined by trip
and traffic data gathered from the
roadway. The minimum toll rate is 10
cents per mile for all Georgia express
lanes, but when traffic increases, so
does the price. During periods of very
low demand, the per-mile rate may be
replaced with a fixed toll of 50 cents
per trip, regardless of distance.
The average toll rate for those using
the lanes has been $2.32, Dale said.
GDOT’s data shows in April 2018
before the toll lanes’ opening, the
average speed on I-75 northbound
between Interstates 285 and 75 at rush
hour’s peak was 20 mph, while April
of 2019 with the toll lanes in operation
saw the average speed double to as
much as 40 mph.
In May, the state agency cited U.S.
Department of Transportation data
that says after one year of the lanes’
operation, an estimated 2.87 billion