GDOT cancels I-75/575 toll lane project
Public-private project eyed as way to alleviate congestion
The Georgia Department of Transportation today canceled plans to add toll lanes along nearly 30 miles of I-75 and 575 in Cobb and Cherokee counties.
Though the agency said in a brief statement that it was still "examining other available options" for the delivery of the $1.1 billion project, we all know everyone's broke, so it's very likely the plans will collect dust for a while. (For once, the road builders and asphalt kings know how transit advocates feel!)
Details are sketchy as to why GDOT had the sudden change of heart about the public-private partnership, which agency officials have been pushing for years and had been put out to bid. As Dave Williams of the Atlanta Business Chronicle reminds us, three international roadbuilder teams were expected to submit proposals next February.
Know why the whole thing fell apart? Send us a line.