GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga.,None — Department of Transportation officials flipped the switch on Georgia’s first High Occupancy Toll lanes, giving drivers the option to pay a toll to avoid congestion on the Interstate 85 corridor.
Testing on the project ended early Saturday. Channel 2’s Rebecca Lindstrom reported very few drivers taking the toll lane option during the quiet morning hours, but the change is expected to affect thousands of commuters in DeKalb and Gwinnett counties on Monday.
The HOT lanes run from Chamblee Tucker Road to Old Peachtree Road. Vehicles are required to have at least three people to travel in the lanes for free. Cars carrying one or two people will face tolls that range from 10 to 90 cents per mile depending on congestion.
Every driver will be required to apply a Georgia Peach Pass sticker to his or her windshield to use the express lanes. Green and purple signs with the Peach Pass logo indicate where you're paying to drive on the highway. Large white signs show how much the toll is from that point to the next exit.
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"You can decide if it's worth it or not to you," DOT spokeswoman Teri Pope told Channel 2 on Thursday. Pope said the cost will fluctuate with traffic, with your rate locking in where you enter.
The number of entry points has decreased, too. There will not be an exit from the toll lane for every exit ramp along Interstate 85. There are four entry and exit points heading south to Atlanta and five heading north. Drivers who illegally exit by crossing the double white lines could be ticketed, Pope said.
Another change to keep in mind -- if you're alone in the car and reach the southbound end of the HOT lane at Shallowford Road you will have to get out of the lane because it changes back to a regular HOV lane that requires two people.
State officials are looking at plans to add additional HOT lanes on Interstate 75 in Cobb County as well.
WSBTV
