COBB COUNTY, Ga. — The Northwest Metro Express Lanes are opening this weekend. GDOT officials confirmed exclusively to WSB Radio that the reversible toll lanes along I-75 and I-575 are set to open by mid-morning on Saturday and will be free for the first two weeks.
Any driver with a registered Peach Pass on their vehicle will be able to drive in them cost-free during that time.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony is planned for Wednesday, September 12th. Governor Nathan Deal will be on hand then to christen the lanes, along with GDOT Commissioner Russell McMurry and State Road and Tollway Authority Executive Director Chris Tomlinson.
GDOT built the lanes and will deploy teams of HERO units to keep lanes open and then reverse them at the given times each day.
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Toll-collecting and toll-setting fall under SRTA’s domain, just as they have for the similarly reversible I-75 South Metro Express Lanes in Henry County and the I-85 HOT lanes in Gwinnett and DeKalb.
Enforcement of those driving in the lanes illegally without Peach Passes is largely upon the Georgia State Patrol and automated systems SRTA controls.
The new lanes on I-75 and I-575 in Cobb and Cherokee counties will operate with a dynamic tolling system, just as they have on the aforementioned existing lanes on I-75 and I-85.
They will cost a minimum of $.10 per mile, with no cost ceiling during high-demand hours and a maximum of $.50 for an entire trip during times of low demand. This is the same standardized system that SRTA implemented for all Georgia toll lanes on August 20th.
I-85 HOT lanes have seen record high prices since the cap lifted. The price increases when volume in the lanes increase; the goal is to keep the lanes moving 35-45 mph. This method keeps the toll lanes moving faster than the original lanes.
GDOT began work on the Northwest Metro Express Lanes in 2015 and targeted their completion for this summer. Sources say the lanes were set to open by late August. But a partial wall collapse onto the nearly finished lanes in June exposed a design flaw that prompted more inspections and repairs on other parts of the system.
With two weeks still left in the summer, the lanes may not have opened as early as officials wanted, but they still are opening at the predicted deadline.
The lanes run from Acworth and Holly Springs on I-75 and I-575, respectively, with specific access points and some at completely different and new interchanges. Hickory Grove Road, Big Shanty Road, Roswell Road, Terrell Mill Road, and Akers Mill Road will all now tie in to I-75.
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The new lanes have limited entry and exit points, so as to eliminate the merging and exiting traffic that slows down roads. Drivers will need to plan ahead of time where they plan to exit and enter the new lanes.
Northwest commuters with Peach Passes will be able to use the lanes in the southbound direction through the weekend and into the following Monday morning rush hour. The lanes will close midday Monday and then re-open in the northbound direction for Monday PM drive.
Motorists can learn more about how the lanes work and get what is needed to use them at PeachPass.com.
Stay with Triple Team Traffic on News 95.5/AM750 WSB for live coverage of the new Northwest Metro Express Lanes from the WSB Skycopter and our team of reporters on the ground and with Channel 2 Action News and the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
Cox Media Group
