Author: Carol Todd

Express Lanes will provide a faster, reliable option for Peach Pass users and expand transit along the SR 400 corridor ATLANTA, GA – The State Transportation Board of Georgia today approved selection of the apparent best value proposer for the State Route (SR) 400 Express Lanes project, allowing this Public Private Partnership (P3) to move forward. The Georgia Department of Transportation (Georgia DOT) and the State Road and Tollway Authority (SRTA) used a best-value procurement method for the project which scores both technical approach and financial proposals with SR 400 Peach Partners, LLC, named the apparent successful proposer. The future will hold further growth for the corridor, with 144,000 more residents and 114,000 more jobs projected by 2050. Georgia DOT’s role is to understand how transportation infrastructure can be built and operated to enable the people and freight movement that such growth requires. The State Strategic Transportation Plan, first developed in 2009, indicated that adding Express Lanes to metro Atlanta’s highways – including along the SR 400 corridor – are the most effective way to ensure reliable access to major job centers, both for commutes by car and by transit. The project will add new Express Lanes in both directions along an approximately 16-mile section of SR 400 from the North Springs MARTA Station (Exit 5C) in Fulton County to approximately 1 mile north of McFarland Parkway (Exit 12) in Forsyth County. Like the existing Express Lanes in Georgia, the new express lanes will have variable-priced tolls that offer a choice for drivers to bypass congestion and enjoy a reliable trip and improved mobility options. In this P3 project the private sector partner will design, build, finance, operate, and maintain the Express Lanes in accordance with contractual parameters managed by Georgia DOT and SRTA. This approach reduces the public funding needed since the private sector partner will finance the project.  The private sector partner will incentivize the use of the Express Lanes with technical and customer-focused innovations over the 50-year partnership.  Toll rates will be subject to SRTA’s contractual requirements. The SR 400 Express Lanes will operate with the Peach Pass and customer billing is performed by SRTA as it is today with the four express lanes projects currently operational in Georgia. The apparent best value proposer provided an improved design resulting in more access throughout the corridor as well as extending the Express Lanes further south to Abernathy Road. The proposers’ additional design and construction features are reflected in their total design and construction cost of $4.6 billion. The apparent best value proposer has committed to making a concession payment to the state of $4.05 billion and will deliver the project through a combination of financing methods. As a result of this P3 procurement model the project will not require any additional public funding to build, operate and maintain. “We are sincerely appreciative of both teams’ hard work and interest in this project. We look forward to getting underway with SR 400 Peach Partners who is an innovative team of industry leaders with years of proven, comprehensive experience and expertise on complex transportation projects,” said Rudy Bowen, State Transportation Board member. The project also includes a $100M state bond investment for major components of MARTA’s Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line, which will ride for free in the Express Lanes. The BRT line will begin at the North Springs MARTA Station and extend northward to the Windward Parkway MARTA Park and Ride, a planned transit-oriented development location. The BRT line will provide a seamless connection to MARTA’s Red Line train. In addition to building significant portions of two BRT stations at Holcomb Bridge Road and at North Point Mall area and direct access to North Springs station and Windward Parkway, the apparent successful proposer will provide an additional $26 million to MARTA to support the BRT build out. “Ongoing coordination with Georgia DOT has prepared MARTA for the future growth of its own network and expanded service offerings with bus rapid transit stations being constructed with the Express Lanes,” said Freda Hardage, Fulton County Marta Board Member. “SR 400 BRT was approved by MARTA as the local preferred alternative for higher capacity transit along SR 400. This is a wonderful opportunity for MARTA to partner alongside Georgia DOT, SRTA and the private sector partner to create what will be a transformational project for the SR 400 corridor and bring additional transportation options to the residents of metro Atlanta.” “Adding managed lanes to SR 400, the economic engine of north Fulton County, will not only enhance mobility and reduce congestion but also pave the way for even greater economic development,” said Brandon Beach, Executive Director of True North 400. “I believe this transformative infrastructure investment from Georgia DOT will allow the growing and top-ranked cities of North Fulton to attract employers and create a more prosperous future for the entire region.” “SR 400 has been an integral part of the region’s transportation network for over five decades. As the State’s economy and population have grown, so too has traffic in this critical part of the region. This challenge can only be solved with innovative mobility options to keep Georgians moving,” stated Jannine Miller, Executive Director of the State Road and Tollway Authority and the Atlanta-region Transit Link Authority, and GDOT’s Director of Planning. “We’re excited that Peach Pass customers and transit riders will have a new option to experience a high-tech, reliable trip in one of metro Atlanta’s most congested highways. The public and private sector, working together, will ensure that communities and businesses along the SR 400 corridor remain vibrant for decades to come.” “The State carried out a rigorous and competitive procurement that will provide the next link in a regional Express Lanes network throughout metro Atlanta,” said Marc Mastronardi, P.E., Georgia DOT Deputy Chief Engineer. “There still is much work to be done before construction begins next year, including completing designs, purchasing property, and permitting,” said Russell R. McMurry, P.E., Georgia DOT Commissioner.“We look forward to sharing with those along the project corridor the design enhancements proposed by the private sector partner, and to achieving the ultimate milestone – opening the SR 400 Express Lanes in 2031.”