Major road projects could ease Atlanta commuting on GA 400, I-285 & I-20 (Savannah: real estate market, power lines)

[Born 2 Roll]

State officials are moving ahead with three massive road construction projects that could shave precious minutes off the commutes of hundreds of thousands of metro Atlanta residents.

Over the next few years, the Georgia Department of Transportation will add toll lanes to a 16-mile stretch of Ga. 400 – lanes that would aid a transit expansion in north Fulton County. The agency also will rebuild I-285 interchanges at I-20 east and west of Atlanta – two of the worst freight bottlenecks in the country.

The three projects are part of a larger “major mobility investment program” that GDOT says will keep traffic moving even as the region adds millions of new residents in coming decades.

Major road projects could ease Atlanta commuting (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

[Need4Camaro]

So it seems they are going through with the 400 HOT lanes anyway.

The I-285 / I-20 rebuilds were needed. Ever so glad they are redoing those interchanges.

The I-16 widening I’m not sure is warranted. I don’t really remember seeing a great deal of traffic on that road.

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally Posted by Need4Camaro

So it seems they are going through with the 400 HOT lanes anyway.

The I-285 / I-20 rebuilds were needed. Ever so glad they are redoing those interchanges.

Yeah, even with the pandemic and effects that it has had on traffic, commuting patterns and commuting trends, I’m not surprised that the state still intends to add toll lanes to GA 400 OTP.

That is because state leaders view that GA 400 North corridor as being one of the three most politically important corridors in the state along with the I-75/I-575 Northwest and I-85/I-985/GA 316 Northeast corridors.

That GA 400 North corridor includes some of the most politically crucial and politically powerful areas in the state in North Fulton County (Buckhead, Sandy Springs, Roswell, Alpharetta, Johns Creek) and Forsyth County... And making those highly affluent Northside suburban and exurban residents happy with high-visibility transportation projects (like the removal of the tolls from GA 400, the reconstruction of the I-285/GA 400 interchange reconstruction, the construction of toll lanes along GA 400 and I-285, etc.) can go a very long way in Georgia politics, both in terms of fundraising and at the ballot box in statewide elections.

That GA 400 corridor (which runs through 3 major business districts/employment hubs in Buckhead, Perimeter and Alpharetta and connects to 3 more important activity centers beyond its south end in Midtown, Downtown and the Airport) has also become key to economic recruitment of high-end employers like Mercedes-Benz and tech companies.

Notice that during that most of the first major transportation projects to be announced and executed after the state started finding money during the Deal gubernatorial administration (and after years of state neglect of transportation in metro Atlanta that was particularly acute during the Perdue gubernatorial administration) were on the Northside along major Northside commuter corridors like I-75/I-575, I-85, I-285, GA 400 and GA 316.

The only real exception to those Northside projects during the Deal administration was the construction of the reversible toll lane along the stretch of I-75 through Henry County on the Southside that is often congested with traffic traveling to and from tourist/vacation/getaway hotspots in Florida and along the Georgia/South Carolina coast.

The interchanges at I-285/I-20 East and I-285/I-20 West have needed reconstruction for decades but were not the highest priority in the fiscal environment of increasingly limited and shrinking funding that GDOT had been experiencing for years (after the Olympics and through the Great Recession) before the Deal administration.

Originally Posted by Need4Camaro

The I-16 widening I’m not sure is warranted. I don’t really remember seeing a great deal of traffic on that road.

It appears that they are only going to be widening I-16 for a few miles on the west side of Savannah between Interstates 95 and 516, probably because of the truck traffic generated by the Port of Savannah and because of tourist traffic.

[MattCW]

I20 east has a fatal flaw, traffic from I-285 is STILL going to be brought in on the other side of the ramp to Wesley Chapel meaning traffic is STILL going to conflict as people from I-20 east going to Wesley Chapel will be moving against people coming from I-285. What idiot looked at that and thought "eh, it's fine?"

[PKCorey]

Originally Posted by MattCW

I20 east has a fatal flaw, traffic from I-285 is STILL going to be brought in on the other side of the ramp to Wesley Chapel meaning traffic is STILL going to conflict as people from I-20 east going to Wesley Chapel will be moving against people coming from I-285. What idiot looked at that and thought "eh, it's fine?"

It works out for the most part now since they upgraded it. It is much improved from the previous mix of all the traffic at one point.

The end of the ramp at Wesley Chapel and the lighting sequence is still the bigger issue. The amount of traffic on the exit can't clear the ramp which leads to the daily backups.

[architect77]

Originally Posted by Need4Camaro

So it seems they are going through with the 400 HOT lanes anyway.

The I-285 / I-20 rebuilds were needed. Ever so glad they are redoing those interchanges.

The I-16 widening I’m not sure is warranted. I don’t really remember seeing a great deal of traffic on that road.

It's probably to accommodate the deep water port's dredging project for the huge cargo ships.

I'm sure half of the required infrastructure needs are outside of the port complex itself.

FOR EVERYONE CITING THE EVILS OF EMINENT DOMAIN;

North Carolina must be home to Satan with this long list of active projects that are devouring people's property;
https://www.nc-eminent-domain.com/latest-projects/

Utilities and the associated easement (such as new power lines and underground gas pipelines) are just as big of a factor as highway construction in seizing people's property.






.

[architect77]

Originally Posted by Born 2 Roll

Yeah, even with the pandemic and effects that it has had on traffic, commuting patterns and commuting trends, I’m not surprised that the state still intends to add toll lanes to GA 400 OTP.

That is because state leaders view that GA 400 North corridor as being one of the three most politically important corridors in the state along with the I-75/I-575 Northwest and I-85/I-985/GA 316 Northeast corridors.

That GA 400 North corridor includes some of the most politically crucial and politically powerful areas in the state in North Fulton County (Buckhead, Sandy Springs, Roswell, Alpharetta, Johns Creek) and Forsyth County... And making those highly affluent Northside suburban and exurban residents happy with high-visibility transportation projects (like the removal of the tolls from GA 400, the reconstruction of the I-285/GA 400 interchange reconstruction, the construction of toll lanes along GA 400 and I-285, etc.) can go a very long way in Georgia politics, both in terms of fundraising and at the ballot box in statewide elections.

I do agree that the idiots controlling the state's purse strings tend to spend in the affluent areas while being loathe to do so in minority areas. South Atlanta looks practically 3rd world and it's evident that the area is neglected. The roads are in atrocious condition, maintenance non-existent.
That GA 400 corridor (which runs through 3 major business districts/employment hubs in Buckhead, Perimeter and Alpharetta and connects to 3 more important activity centers beyond its south end in Midtown, Downtown and the Airport) has also become key to economic recruitment of high-end employers like Mercedes-Benz and tech companies.

Notice that during that most of the first major transportation projects to be announced and executed after the state started finding money during the Deal gubernatorial administration (and after years of state neglect of transportation in metro Atlanta that was particularly acute during the Perdue gubernatorial administration) were on the Northside along major Northside commuter corridors like I-75/I-575, I-85, I-285, GA 400 and GA 316.

The only real exception to those Northside projects during the Deal administration was the construction of the reversible toll lane along the stretch of I-75 through Henry County on the Southside that is often congested with traffic traveling to and from tourist/vacation/getaway hotspots in Florida and along the Georgia/South Carolina coast.

The interchanges at I-285/I-20 East and I-285/I-20 West have needed reconstruction for decades but were not the highest priority in the fiscal environment of increasingly limited and shrinking funding that GDOT had been experiencing for years (after the Olympics and through the Great Recession) before the Deal administration.



It appears that they are only going to be widening I-16 for a few miles on the west side of Savannah between Interstates 95 and 516, probably because of the truck traffic generated by the Port of Savannah and because of tourist traffic.

It's amazing that people when discussing mobility requirements in the nation's 9th largest metro area in the 8th most populous state...

could attribute any transportation project main impetus to merely satisfying or appeasing an important voter block.

I don't think it's even a side gain from commencing with these limited attempts to build sufficient amounts of infrastructure to get through the nexr 30 years in a fast-growing state.

Those affluent voters must be dismissed as being blind to any aesthetic appreciation then. This last-ditch effort should be appalling to those powerful voters. No priority or effort has been detected to build anything attractive within these messy projects that cram more into the same amount of right-of-way as exists today.

It's a hard sell to convince anyone that these ugly butcherings to our highways is to make some residents happy or satisfied.

With all of the endless miles of rural landscapes with no manmade infrastructure in sight, I don't know why all the haters of infrastructure don't live in those places rather than live in a big, populated city but contest any construction of supporting infrastructure for a rapidly growing population.

Partisan thinking has seeped into every aspect of people's lives and it just accelerates this country's downfall. It's sad that it has come to this: replacing rational thought altogether.

[architect77]

Originally Posted by Born 2 Roll

Yeah, even with the pandemic and effects that it has had on traffic, commuting patterns and commuting trends, I’m not surprised that the state still intends to add toll lanes to GA 400 OTP.

Not intending to gang up on you, but

do you think that an event lasting months or a couple of years that certainly will be eradicated by a few of the 25 vaccines that will be produced is significant enough to permanently alter...

the mobility needs for 8 million people during the next 25 years?

For me, I always looked at our roaring recent economy as a temporary good run, not anywhere near what's normal on average.

Others seemed to not even remember the Great Recession just 10 years ago. They made predictions based on the phenomenal, current economy as if it was solid enough to take huge risks that extended well into the future.

The abnormally heated real estate market is one example where people believed $300k for a one bedroom condo was as low as it was ever going to get.

The pandemic showed us that the world could adapt very quickly, and I believe that it will revert a little slower but ultimately revert back to what we remember.

The lasting changes may come in work and dining environments as well as what we consider to be fun recreation pursuits but I believe it will be minimal,

Ten years is the extent of most people's decision-making influences it seems.

[MattCW]

Originally Posted by PKCorey

It works out for the most part now since they upgraded it. It is much improved from the previous mix of all the traffic at one point.

No, it really hasn't improved anything. Before, a good driver coming from 285 onto I-20E could get over quickly, get into the left lane and largely avoid the congestion. But now, you're stuck till you're past the bridge where you all of a sudden have entering traffic that don't even have a proper acceleration lane.

[PKCorey]

Originally Posted by MattCW

No, it really hasn't improved anything. Before, a good driver coming from 285 onto I-20E could get over quickly, get into the left lane and largely avoid the congestion. But now, you're stuck till you're past the bridge where you all of a sudden have entering traffic that don't even have a proper acceleration lane.

It feels much better than me than the fighting at the beginning of the ramp with the old ramp imho. Same during rush hour, it is much easier to get over at the end of the ramp after Wesley Chapel vs the disaster in the early 2000's.