10 miles of Express Lanes open in Gwinnett County

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — As you prepare to hit the road this morning, a new option is now available.

Ten miles of new Express Lanes opened in Gwinnett County this weekend.

Monday morning’s commute was their first true test.

RELATED STORIES:

The reversible toll lanes run from parts of Interstate 575 in Cherokee County and Interstate 75 in Cobb County and then end at the Interstate 285 interchange.

The extension of the Interstate 85 express lanes opened Saturday morning, giving drivers 10 more miles on both the north and southbound sides.

It now begins on the north end at the Hamilton Mill exit.

It also ties into the widening of I-85 that opened another free lane at the beginning of October.

[READ: New numbers show drivers using express lanes to cut down morning commute]

To use the express lane extension, you will need a Peach Pass and must pay the toll, which has been high due to high demand.

“Nine million people yearly that use this express lane are going to get the extra benefit because they’re going to be able to travel 10 more miles to get home, have 10 more miles of choice, in addition to an extra general-purpose lane,” Georgia DOT spokeswoman Natalie Dale said.

The express lanes work the same as the existing ones, where the toll goes up and down based on traffic and how many drivers are using it.

The old record was $15.50 for the full 16 miles that we started to see repeatedly at the end of summer.

Now, drivers can be in the lane for up to 26 miles.

Cox Media Group