Local

Drivers complain about eliminating Ga. 400 tolls

SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. — It may be hard to believe, but some metro Atlanta residents are upset that the tolls on Georgia 400 are going away Nov. 20.

Channel 2's Dave Huddleston found it's not just a handful of people, there are quite a few.

Huddleston found commuters that think removing the infamous toll will only create more problems.

"I think it's going to cause a bottleneck in traffic," driver Stephanie Evertsz told Huddleston.

Evertsz travels Ga. 400 and worries that removing the toll will create massive backups.

"Opening it up to everyone is going to cause more traffic. I don't think it's a benefit," Evertsz said.

And others agree with Evertsz. The State Road and Tollway Authority said it's have received several emails from concerned drivers.

"I'm happy to pay the tolls," one email said.

"How foolish of you to stop the toll!" another email said.

"It's always interesting to see what people's comments are and we take them seriously," said Bert Brantley, deputy executive director of the State Road and Tollway Authority.

He said the complaints are not serious enough to change their minds and keep the tolls.

Huddleston caught up with Gov. Nathan Deal and Wednesday and asked him what's the possibility that the Ga. 400 tolls will stay.

"I made a promise. I intend to keep it," Deal said.

Brantely said in the next five years, many of the key interstates around the metro area will have tolls similar to the express lane currently on Interstate 85.

"We have to keep our promise on Georgia 400 so people will understand the promises we make on those future toll roads, that we'll keep those as well," Brantley said.