Georgia 400 Tolls to End in November

“Some construction work will begin as early as October, primarily striping and signage removal,” Golden says. “The department will also maintain three general purpose lanes throughout the remainder of the season.”

Those general purpose lanes will be located where the Peach Pass lanes are currently. Usually, there are 3 general purpose lanes and 2 Peach Pass lanes open on GA 400. But Golden says he doesn’t expect the change to make traffic worse.

“I think it will be a minimal impact on the general public,” he says. “I believe you’ll see at night some of the work will be transitioned through. We’ll use a temporary barrier to separate the lanes. I think the motorists will see that as a seamless transition.”

But state officials aren’t sure what traffic will look like on GA 400 after the tolls are removed. Chris Tomlinson, the executive director of the State Road and Tollway Authority, says they’re taking a wait-and-see approach.

“If there’s any additional increases or additional congestion, it will be a function of whether there’s any kind of significant uptick in new riders who, because the toll is gone, decide that they now want to take this as their path,” he says.

Tomlison says those numbers are tough to predict.

Tara Harris uses GA 400 about 3 times a week for work. She says eliminating the tolls won’t entice her to ride the corridor more often, but it will have a positive affect on her commute.

“I think it’d make a difference in just the annoyance factor of having to financially plan just to go up 400,” Harris says.

Although the tolls will end in November, state officials say the demolition of the toll plaza won’t be finished until next summer. 

However, GDOT says  construction on two ramps connecting GA 400 and I-85 will be completed in January. Golden says that could help reduce some of the extra congestion.

Click here for details on the demolition process.