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The Georgia Department of Transportation will host two informational meetings in Gwinnett County Thursday. Officials say the idea is to get feedback about more proposed toll lanes in the area.
When state officials installed toll lanes on I-85 in DeKalb and Gwinnett counties, commuters complained. One major gripe was that free carpool lanes were converted into pay lanes. Georgia Department of Transportation spokesperson Jill Goldberg says the lanes planned for the 10-mile stretch between Old Peachtree and Hamilton Mill Roads will be different.
“These will be new builds, so it’s new construction, new capacity, which motorists will have the choice to use if they choose to pay a toll,” Goldberg says.
The lanes would operate the same way the existing toll lanes do: the toll will increase as demand for the lanes goes up. Goldberg says GDOT is seeking public feedback, even if that means there’s strong opposition.
“Certainly a no-build option is still out there,” she says, “We have made adjustments in projects over the years to meet the needs of people, and that’s the type of thing that we expect to get out of this is citizens’ input so we know how to best deliver the project to them.”
Goldberg says there is no timeline yet for the project’s implementation.
The following is GDOT’s schedule and locations for the informational meetings.
3/21/13 – from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Gwinnett Center Atrium Gallery, 6400 Sugarloaf Pkwy, Duluth, GA.
3/28/13 – from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Braselton Police and Municipal Court Building, 5040 Highway 53, Braselton, GA.
GDOT has more information about the project as well as a PDF flyer about the meetings.
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