Dismantling of GA 400 toll plaza takes big step forward (Atlanta: purchase, cost of)

[Gulch]

Originally Posted by CAWjr

With no traffic, they can take the overhead toll plazas down in one fell swoop. If they redirect traffic to one side, dismantle, then the other side, dismantle, it would take a lot longer.

Do it overnight on a Friday, Saturday, & Sunday & the impact is minimal.

There's also significant underground infrastructure that has to be dismantled and will take longer that a weekend to get done.

[MattCW]

I'm looking forward to the increased congestion further strengthening the case for the MARTA Red Line extension to Windward.

[Mossberg]

FYI, there are tunnels that the employees use that go under the tollbooths that have to be removed. That is why it is not a simple "weekend" construction project. The tunnels and booths are integrated and will take time to remove, back-fill, and pave over.

[bryantm3]

Originally Posted by flyonpa

Just redirect all traffic to the left, to the open lanes, remove plaza, move traffic to removed plaza are, then remove overhead toll works.

But a year? 4 weekend, 2 for each direction....

Originally Posted by CAWjr

I don't get how this will take a full year to complete. Take a couple weekends to periodically close 400 between 285 & Buckhead and this thing could be done in a few months.

it's not that simple— the road widens to about 10 lanes per side. in addition to removing the toll booth, they have to reduce the road to three lanes per side, take down the toll headquarters, tear up the parking lot, move the sound barriers (or reconstruct them), take out the overhead lights, etc. etc. it is a big project.

i overheard someone on WSB saying that the traffic would increase from "10 to 15 percent". hahaha... they have no clue, do they? traffic on that corridor is going to go up 50 percent, if only from delivery trucks.

[aries4118]

The tolls should stay. They are an easy and cheap revenue stream.

Only $0.50!


And we should put a few more $0.50 tolls in Metro Atlanta--but just a few.

[Gulch]

Originally Posted by bryantm3

it's not that simple— the road widens to about 10 lanes per side. in addition to removing the toll booth, they have to reduce the road to three lanes per side, take down the toll headquarters, tear up the parking lot, move the sound barriers (or reconstruct them), take out the overhead lights, etc. etc. it is a big project.

i overheard someone on WSB saying that the traffic would increase from "10 to 15 percent". hahaha... they have no clue, do they? traffic on that corridor is going to go up 50 percent, if only from delivery trucks.

I seriously don't think that many people avoid the toll. 10-15% sounds about right.

[bryantm3]

Originally Posted by DaBurgh

Which part of removing it costs 3.5 million? I really don't know anything about it. I suspect you could find a few dozen volunteers who would take that thing out much faster and cheaper.

LOL...

hey coother! you got it set up?

ALL RIGHT Y'ALL WATCH THIS!

[bryantm3]

Originally Posted by Gulch

I seriously don't think that many people avoid the toll. 10-15% sounds about right.

you're forgetting how much traffic on the interstates is caused by commercial vehicles. for 18 wheelers and such, the toll is $2.50 at the toll booth. unless the road is going to be restricted to cars only, you're going to see a massive increase in traffic.

[Gulch]

Originally Posted by bryantm3

you're forgetting how much traffic on the interstates is caused by commercial vehicles. for 18 wheelers and such, the toll is $2.50 at the toll booth. unless the road is going to be restricted to cars only, you're going to see a massive increase in traffic.

Most 18-wheelers can't go ITP except for local deliveries, plus you don't see a whole lot of truck traffic on the OTP portion of GA 400 right now anyway (they tend to stick to the "through" freeways). Will there be an increase in traffic? Sure, just not 50% more.

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally Posted by cqholt

Terrible idea. The state has little money to fund current maintenance, now GDOT is losing millions of revenue that could go to maintenance and expansion. The tolls should have stayed to at least pay for the 285/400 interchange improvements/rebuild.

Originally Posted by Gulch

Maybe back in 1990 the state shouldn't have promised to remove the toll once the bonds were paid off. They dug a hole with that one.

These are excellent points.

At the time that the state made the promise to take the tolls off of Georgia 400 out of political expediency, the state was already having substantial transportation funding issues.

So it made no sense for the state to forgo so much in transportation funding at a future date when the state knew that transportation funding at the time was shrinking as the population (and the corresponding transportation needs of the population) was exploding.