DOT land where the tolls used to be on GA400 (Hapeville: new home, to buy)

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by Need4Camaro

I believe service plaza's in Chicago exist on the Chicago Skyway/Indiana Toll Road, Tri-State Tollway, and a few other toll roads, as well as many turnpikes in New England, Florida, Kansas, Oklahoma, ect because it is inconvenient to exit a toll road to access restaurant, fuel stations, or resting areas forcing you to have to pay to exit (or return) and then pay again when you reach your intended exit, or the end of the toll road so they build plaza's containing these entities so you don't have to exit or pay to access these entities and pay again to reach your destination.

I don't believe I have seen a freeway in America with a Service Plaza. The most they are willing to give us are Rest Areas.

Germany and many European countries however do have service plaza's on their freeways.

As for the land in question. I have been wondering if they were going to use that in conjunction with whatever other work the intend on doing to GA-400 ITP in expansion of their HOT lanes if / when they ever come ITP.

There is no way Buckhead would allow elevated managed lanes along 400.

[Gulch]

Originally Posted by cqholt

There is no way Buckhead would allow elevated managed lanes along 400.

And there are no plans by GDOT to extend the elevated lanes that far south.

However, GDOT may be proposing elevated lanes for the Downtown Connector...stay tuned.

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by Gulch

And there are no plans by GDOT to extend the elevated lanes that far south.

However, GDOT may be proposing elevated lanes for the Downtown Connector...stay tuned.

But what about The Stitch?

[ATL Golfer]

Originally Posted by jsvh

Everyone eats food. Why not tax everyone to provide food?

I am saying charge based on how much and what you use. Market economics. Not central planning. For both food and transportation.

I'd agree if this came along with income tax decreases in kind.

[jsvh]

Originally Posted by ATL Golfer

I'd agree if this came along with income tax decreases in kind.

Yep. Scrap the taxes. The gas tax too. Many cars are transitioning to alternative fuels anyways. The current funding model is not sustainable.

[bu2]

Originally Posted by Born 2 Roll

I don't think that there are any plans at present for future express toll lanes to be built along Georgia 400 ITP (south of the Top End of the I-285 Perimeter).

I think that the plans for constructing express toll lanes along GA 400 are pretty much for the section of the corridor that is OTP (north of the Top End of the I-285 Perimeter).

There is no place to expand or widen the GA 400 roadway ITP. That is because of the heavily wooded tree/vegetation buffers that line the roadway and separate the roadway from the affluent residential neighborhoods that line the roadway ITP between the Glenridge Connector and Buckhead Loop/Lenox Road interchanges.

Like other posters alluded to in earlier posts, some of the wooded land that lines the GA 400 corridor ITP (between the Buckhead Loop/Lenox Road and the Ivy Road underpass) has been converted into a linear park, while many Buckhead and ITP Sandy Springs residents (many of whom still harbor sore feelings over the controversial construction of the GA 400 ITP Extension back in the early 1990's) are very adamant about the road not being further expanded/widened and keeping the thick wooded buffers in place between the road and the residential areas that line the road.

That's one of the arguments for extending the Red Line. Toll lanes or BRT north of 285 simply mean a forced transfer onto MARTA since there are no lanes, nor a reasonable possibility of lanes south of 285 on 400.

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally Posted by bu2

That's one of the arguments for extending the Red Line. Toll lanes or BRT north of 285 simply mean a forced transfer onto MARTA since there are no lanes, nor a reasonable possibility of lanes south of 285 on 400.

This.

In addition to staunch local opposition to further widening/expanding the GA 400 roadway ITP, another factor that would make adding any new lanes to the GA 400 roadway pretty much completely impossible is how extremely close extremely heavy commercial development sits to the GA 400 roadway through the Buckhead financial district (from the Lenox Road/Buckhead Loop overpass south down to the PATH400 overpass), including the GA 400 tunnel under the Atlanta Financial Center.

There literally is no space to add new lanes to the GA 400 roadway through the Buckhead financial district.

Large-scale commercial developments (like the aforementioned Atlanta Financial Center, the Cousins high-rise at 3348-3350 Peachtree Road, etc.) are literally located immediately next to the GA 400 roadway in that stretch.

An extended (and upgraded) Red Line (that already operates in the median of GA 400 through the Buckhead Financial District) could in effect be the express toll lanes that the GA 400 right-of-way is not physically able to accommodate ITP.

[PKCorey]

Originally Posted by Need4Camaro

I believe service plaza's in Chicago exist on the Chicago Skyway/Indiana Toll Road, Tri-State Tollway, and a few other toll roads, as well as many turnpikes in New England, Florida, Kansas, Oklahoma, ect because it is inconvenient to exit a toll road to access restaurant, fuel stations, or resting areas forcing you to have to pay to exit (or return) and then pay again when you reach your intended exit, or the end of the toll road so they build plaza's containing these entities so you don't have to exit or pay to access these entities and pay again to reach your destination.

I don't believe I have seen a freeway in America with a Service Plaza. The most they are willing to give us are Rest Areas.

Germany and many European countries however do have service plaza's on their freeways.

As for the land in question. I have been wondering if they were going to use that in conjunction with whatever other work the intend on doing to GA-400 ITP in expansion of their HOT lanes if / when they ever come ITP.

Pretty sure, it is against the law now. The older ones were grandfathered in.

I remember hearing that when Maryland was planning to upgrade both travel plazas on I-95 (Maryland House and Chesapeake House).

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by PKCorey

Pretty sure, it is against the law now. The older ones were grandfathered in.

I remember hearing that when Maryland was planning to upgrade both travel plazas on I-95 (Maryland House and Chesapeake House).

It would be nice to have a place to grab a sausage biscuit and a cup of steaming hot Joe when you are heading up 400.

[Need4Camaro]

Originally Posted by PKCorey

Pretty sure, it is against the law now. The older ones were grandfathered in.

I remember hearing that when Maryland was planning to upgrade both travel plazas on I-95 (Maryland House and Chesapeake House).

Service Plazas on toll roads are now illegal? I have been wondering why some of Texas newer tollroads dont have them. Why were they outlawed?

Originally Posted by Born 2 Roll

This.

In addition to staunch local opposition to further widening/expanding the GA 400 roadway ITP, another factor that would make adding any new lanes to the GA 400 roadway pretty much completely impossible is how extremely close extremely heavy commercial development sits to the GA 400 roadway through the Buckhead financial district (from the Lenox Road/Buckhead Loop overpass south down to the PATH400 overpass), including the GA 400 tunnel under the Atlanta Financial Center.

There literally is no space to add new lanes to the GA 400 roadway through the Buckhead financial district.

Large-scale commercial developments (like the aforementioned Atlanta Financial Center, the Cousins high-rise at 3348-3350 Peachtree Road, etc.) are literally located immediately next to the GA 400 roadway in that stretch.

An extended (and upgraded) Red Line (that already operates in the median of GA 400 through the Buckhead Financial District) could in effect be the express toll lanes that the GA 400 right-of-way is not physically able to accommodate ITP.

I wish they would altogether scrap the BRT/HOT proposal up 400 and extend the red line. Is that plan concrete now? Is there any more hope for a red line extension?

Anyhow, if they DID build the HOT/BRT on 400 N... I was thinking (although extremely unlikely) what if they made the ITP section of 400 like the LBJ I-635 in DFW where the freeway will be surface level, MARTA rail would still be in the median but submerged into the ground (although uncovered), and the HOT lanes will use a surface level viaduct -which will also be grade level with the GP lanes- above the submerged MARTA rail? In this instance both MARTA and BRT could share buckhead station... OR ... the old toll plaza land could serve as an additional transfer point