ATLANTA — It’s been more than a decade since someone last had to pay a toll to drive on Georgia 400.
But soon, paid lanes will return to GA400 with new Express Lanes set to be built.
Channel 2’s Michael Doudna looked at how Express Lanes have more than made up the difference from the revenue lost from the tolls.
Every day, thousands of cars hit Georgia roads, with many paying to cut the line.
Soon, paid lanes will once again be back on Georgia 400, a dozen years after politicians celebrated the closing of the 400 tolls.
Back then, Gov. Nathan Deal and Fulton County Commissioner Robb Pitts praised the move, which had the state reportedly miss out on around $20 million of revenue.
“I suspect that any time cities, municipalities lose money, that they’ve got to figure out ways that they can generate money some other way,” said Tom Smith finance professor at Emory University.
Georgia has since turned to Express Lanes, which bring in more money than the tolls ever did.
According to the State Roads and Tolls Authority, the roads generated $87 million in revenue to the state, paid for by folks paying for a shortcut.
“Allowing people to make choices like that I think is really valuable because now you get to see how time is money,” Smith said.
In 2025, the state reached an agreement to build Express Lanes on GA 400 through a public-private partnership where the companies would pay for the construction and an additional $4 billion to the state to keep the toll revenue for 50 years.
It is not known how much the private companies expect to make from the project.
Heavy construction is expected to start later this year and finish up in 2031.
The project will add new lanes for 16 miles in both directions of Georgia 400.
The southern portion of the lanes will start at the North Springs MARTA Station.
It will end one mile north of McFarland Parkway.
The project should be done by 2031 and collect tolls along the road for 50 years.
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