ATLANTA,None — Georgia 400 Cruise Card users will soon be getting letters explaining the change to the new "Peach Pass."
The Peach Pass is the State Road and Tollway Authority's new system to charge tolls not only on 400, but also on the Interstate 85 Express lanes, due to open in August.
"The existing Cruise Cards will still work," said Tollway Authority Deputy Executive Director Chris Tomlinson.
Tomlinson told Channel 2's Richard Elliot that existing Cruise Card user accounts will stay exactly the same, but users will have to either log in to the new Peach Pass website or call customer service to update some of the features of the account.
Once that is done, commuters can ride through the Georgia 400 toll plaza as before and, if they choose, use the new I-85 express lanes.
Those lanes will replace the HOV lanes along a 16-mile stretch of I-85 between Chamblee-Tucker Road and Old Peachtree Road. The state will charge between 10 cents and 90 cents a mile to use them, depending on how much traffic is using the road at the time.
"From wherever you enter, you'll see an overhead sign that will tell you what the total toll will cost you to go to the nearest exit as well as the last exit," said Tomlinson. "And if you leave the system in between, your toll will be somewhere in between."
Because the primary goal of the Express lanes is to regulate traffic congestion, the toll will go up as more and more cars use them. But once a motorist enters the lane, they will be locked into that price even after the toll starts to go up.
Tomlinson estimates the average cost to drive Express lanes will range between $5 and $6 per trip. But he added that if you have three or more people in your car and register online, the toll is free.
Greg Nesbitt commutes on Georgia 400 from Alpharetta to Downtown Atlanta every day, and enjoys using his Cruise Card. He told Elliot he just got the Peach Pass letter and is looking forward to using the new system.
"I like the idea of being able to expand the benefits of the pass and when that (express) lane is complete, I'm sure I'll take advantage of it."
WSBTV
