FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — Drivers in Forsyth County are gearing up for a years-long construction project to build toll lanes on Georgia 400, but some question whether they will do anything to ease congestion.
The $4.6 billion project will add two express lanes in each direction on Georgia 400, beginning at the MARTA North Springs Station and ending just north of McFarland Parkway in Forsyth County.
Karen Bosch told Channel 2’s Bryan Mims that traffic is thick on Georgia 400 and express lanes could be a good thing, but the highway will still be jam-packed.
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“You can never build enough roads for peak, period,” she said. “It’s always going to be an issue. You take the peak out of this, it flows pretty good.”
The lanes are expected to cut delays by more than 19,000 hours a day, or about 15 minutes per driver, and reduce crashes by 8%. Tolls vary based on traffic volume.
But getting there requires at least five years of construction.
Workers have spent the last few months clearing away trees in preparation for the project. Heavy construction is set to begin in the spring and be completed in 2031, at the earliest.
In Forsyth County, express lane interchanges are planned for McGinnis Ferry Road and Union Hill Road.
“I think we’ve definitely outgrown the infrastructure in terms of traffic,” said Tiffany McClure, who drives Georgia 400 regularly.
She said the lanes could be a boon for drivers willing to pay, but she’s averse to tolls and wouldn’t use the express lanes.
“I would sit in traffic and listen to my audiobooks, or my 80s rock and sing very loudly and wait for as long as I need to,” she said. “I think if they’re going to add an extra lane, it should be open for everybody, if that would help with the congestion we have.”
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The project is a public-private partnership between the Georgia Department of Transportation, the State Road and Tollway Authority and SR 400 Peach Partners LLC, which submitted the winning bid. It’s funded by Peach Partners and a $3.89 billion federal loan. Peach Partners plans to recover its investment from toll revenue.
“I think it’s going to increase the traffic a lot,” said driver Jason Underwood. South Forsyth County is booming, and he said the lanes won’t lighten the load on 400. “A lot of construction up here, a lot of housing developments, a lot of shopping centers and things like that. All of that is going to increase,” he said.
Chris Durham dreads the years of construction ahead.
“With this, this is going to add more congestion to 400 that’s already on there,” he said. “It’s going to be more of an issue.”
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