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Arching over Atlanta, 33-mile express lanes initiative nears milestone Josh Green Fri, 04/18/2025 - 08:21

For anyone interested in traffic and transit around Atlanta (and who isn’t?), options are now limited for chiming in on what’s shaping up to be one of the most consequential transportation projects in metro history. 

MARTA officials send word the final round of community meetings will be held next month for gathering feedback on the I-285 Express Lanes Transit Study—a sweeping state, regional, and local initiative that aims to build transit options along 33 and ½ miles of Atlanta’s Interstate 285 loop, with a goal of better preparing the region for considerable, forecasted growth.

Project leaders call the conclusion of public meetings (the final three are May 6, 7, and 8) a significant milestone toward getting the I-285 Express Lanes project moving. 

How the top-end express lanes would meet Ga. Highway 400 near the central business districts of Sandy Springs and Dunwoody, per early concepts.Georgia Department of Transportation

Officials with MARTA, the Georgia Department of Transportation, and the Atlanta-region Transit Link Authority, or ATL, kicked off the public-input sessions in December. The meetings, held in partnership with city and county officials along the I-285 corridor, have served to update residents and commuters on planned changes for one of Georgia’s busiest transportation corridors, the northern arc of I-285, according to MARTA.

The remaining meetings will lend previews of final concepts and allow the public to ask questions and submit input to the project team, per MARTA. There's no set programming, and attendees can come and go as they please. 

“Community input remains critical to refining these plans and shaping the future of transit in the corridor,” MARTA officials noted this week. 

GDOT’s I-285 Top End Express Lanes project calls for building two new lanes in each direction, all separated by barriers, next to existing lanes around the northern arc.

The section of I-285 in question for transit spans between MARTA’s Indian Creek MARTA station near Stone Mountain (the system’s easternmost stop) and H.E. Holmes MARTA station (the westernmost stop).  

The scope of the I-285 Top End Express Lanes project, arcing across Atlanta's Perimeter. Georgia Department of Transportation

Public transit providers that will operate in new lanes—at no additional cost to transit riders per trip—include MARTA, Xpress, and state-registered van pools. A Peach Pass will be required for drivers to use the lanes, with fluctuating pricing.

The ATL has been leading efforts to study how transit service could best be incorporated into the I-285 express lanes GDOT plans to build. Exactly what the transit options might look like hasn’t been finalized, but GDOT has said the new lanes will be built to accommodate bus rapid transit, or BRT. Cost estimates are also TBD.

More than 240,000 vehicles use the stretch of I-285 in question each weekday, according to GDOT. 

Project leaders say the transit study area is expected to see a 42-percent population surge and 33-percent bump in job growth by 2050. That, as MARTA officials maintain, underscores the need for better transit options.

Another focus of the study aims to identify needed improvements—such as optimal station and ramp locations, along with potential funding sources—for making I-285 transit access a viable reality. 

According to GDOT, a procurement and construction schedule for the project’s initial phases is being put together now. The express lanes are expected to be rolled out in three different phases.

The final study report on transportation options along I-285’s northern arc is scheduled to be completed this summer.

How the tolled, elevated express highway lanes would be laced into the Cobb Cloverleaf section of Interstate 75. Georgia Department of Transportation

...

Here’s a rundown of remaining I-285 Express Lanes Transit Study meeting details:

Tuesday, May 6

5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

Dunwoody City Hall

4800 Ashford Dunwoody Road NE, Dunwoody

Translators available in Spanish and Arabic

…  

Wednesday, May 7

5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

C.T. Martin Natatorium and Recreation Center

3201 Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. SW, Atlanta

Translators available in Spanish and Arabic

… 

Thursday, May 8

5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

Clarkston Community Center

3701 College Ave., Clarkston

Translators available in Spanish and Arabic

…

Note: For anyone who can’t attend in person, I-285 Express Lanes Transit Study meeting materials and a comment submission form will be available online here until May 21, per MARTA. 

...

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Images

The 33 and 1/2-mile scope of the I-285 Express Lanes Transit Study. Courtesy of MARTA

The scope of the I-285 Top End Express Lanes project, arcing across Atlanta's Perimeter. Georgia Department of Transportation

How the top-end express lanes would meet Ga. Highway 400 near the central business districts of Sandy Springs and Dunwoody, per early concepts.Georgia Department of Transportation

Where the elevated express lanes would rise from at-grade sections and take flight over Cobb Parkway, as seen heading clockwise around the Perimeter, per GDOT's conceptual video. Georgia Department of Transportation

Another elevated Cobb County section at Cumberland Boulevard. Georgia Department of Transportation

How the tolled, elevated express highway lanes would be laced into the Cobb Cloverleaf section of Interstate 75. Georgia Department of Transportation

Subtitle Meetings to conclude soon for transit services proposed along I-285, one of Georgia's busiest corridors

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