Is widening Atlanta’s busy highway enough to alleviate driver safety concerns?

ATLANTA — The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) is considering expanding a network of toll lanes in the Atlanta area that began several years ago on Interstates 75 and 85, according to a report from Capitol Beat News. .

The State Transportation Board voted to work with the State Road and Tollway Authority (SRTA) to add toll lanes to the upper half of I-285 and along Georgia 400 to North Springs Station MARTA.

As with previous projects, including the Northwest Corridor along I-75 north of 285 and a second section of I-75 just south of Atlanta, GDOT will work with the private sector on the 285 toll lane projects, according to the Capitol Beat report.

GDOT will coordinate the work, while a private developer will design, construct, operate and maintain the new lanes, Helen Pinkston-Pope, senior attorney for GDOT, told the News Service of Georgia.

“We really see the benefits of bringing in the developer from the beginning,” she said.

I-285 is consistently one of the most congested stretches of highway in the country, said Tim Matthews, program manager at GDOT’s division in charge of projects built through public-private partnerships. Atlanta’s Perimeter Highway sees between 250,000 and 300,000 vehicles a day, he said.

But is freeway widening enough to make truck drivers feel more comfortable navigating Atlanta’s constant, heavy traffic?

Marcus Davis, who runs a delegated route from Georgia to Alabama every day, says no.

“It’s bigger than (interstate expansion),” Davis said. “It’s about discipline and basic principles that everyone has moved away from. Period.”

Davis, who has been driving for more than five years, said this week has been particularly trying because of the high volume of vehicles on the road and the habits of daily drivers.

Although he admits to rarely driving with the CB on, he did so this week because of the heavy volume between Atlanta and Montgomery, Alabama.

“These guys, and what they’re saying — I mean, regular civilians really need to take notice,” Davis said.

Davis and his colleagues say they see an abundance of bad habits, including driving on the phone and making life-threatening driving decisions.

According to Davis, no matter how wide a road is, it won’t change drivers’ habits.

As with previous toll lane projects, SRTA will coordinate financing and collect toll revenue.

Pinkston-Pope said GDOT will first call for bids for the I-285 East Express Lanes project, covering a stretch from Georgia 400 east and south to Interstate 20. – 20 — will follow, she said.

“The size of these projects is significant,” Matthews said. “We can’t build them with one contract.”

In a related matter, Matthews said GDOT received two bids from contractors interested in adding toll lanes to Georgia 400 in Fulton and Forsyth counties. The agency will evaluate bids and recommend a contractor for that project to the State Transportation Board in August, he said.