COBB COUNTY, Ga. — Heads up, drivers: You're urged to get a Peach Pass now before the largest state project opens in just a matter of months.
Drivers along I-75 in Cobb County are anxious for the express lanes to open and for traffic to hopefully ease during both the morning and afternoon rushes.
Right now, the express lanes are set to open in September, but officials told Channel 2's Audrey Washington the project could finish up by late August.
"We're 95% complete on those 39 bridges that are really going to help move congestion in this area," GDOT's Natalie Dale told Washington.
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Crews broke ground on the multimillion dollar project back in 2014. The 30-mile reversible express lanes project is the largest in Georgia state history.
It stretches from parts of I-575 in Cherokee County and I-75 in Cobb County and then ends at the I-285 interchange, right near SunTrust Park.
GDOT said because the project looks structurally complete, some commuters are actually jumping ahead of the opening date and attempting to drive the express lanes now.
That is strictly prohibited.
"We have to make sure all those gates are working, all the technology is booted up and ready to go before we open up this system," Dale said.
One delivery driver Washington spoke with said it is probably happening because people get frustrated while stuck in gridlock traffic.
“I mean, the traffic is all day long, steady, steady all day long,” Leroy Smith said.
Still, Smith hopes the new northwest corridor express lanes system will actually work to cut down on the bumper-to-bumper gridlock.
"It's looking pretty good, from when I first saw them working on it," Smith told Washington. "So they're progressing pretty well."
To prevent any further confusion, GDOT also suggests commuters who do not have a Peach Pass already, purchase one ahead of the project opening.
Cox Media Group
