In November of 2008, the federal government invested over $100 million dollars to renovate major highways near Atlanta in order to reduce traffic congestion. Additional HOV (high occupancy vehicle) lanes and high-speed commuter buses are to be added to the current highway system consisting of I-85, I-75, I-20, and I-285.
These new additions will allegedly redefine the way commuters use the highways and "make commutes reliable, not ridiculous."
The neatest part about all this? Georgia Tech's School of Civil and Environmental Engineering are involved in bringing this project to a successful implementation.
The article states that the Atlanta metro area is tied for the city with the second highest traffic congestion in America.
The project plans to add HOTs (high occupancy tolls) for single occupant vehicle drivers who are willing to pay a toll (priced by time of day and traffic peak) to use HOV lanes. These toll booths will be implemented from exit 109 (Old Peachtree Road) of I-85 to I-285 by January of 2011. Additional HOT/HOV systems will also be placed on other major Atlanta highways mentioned above.
$30 million of this federal grant will go towards the purchasing of new high-speed buses that will serve a larger web of the metro Atlanta area.
Hopefully, these new improvements will help reduce the congestion on major highways near Atlanta. From personal experience, I know how bad I-85 N can get especially during rush hour when everyone's going home towards countless suburban developments north of Atlanta.
Perhaps these new buses will service some of these suburban developments. In Suwanee, I know that there is no practical public transportation system. So maybe these new bus routes will provide an alternative to driving for residents in the metro Atlanta area.
I remain skeptical about how effective these improvements will be--especially the new buses. I doubt that $30 million will be enough to provide reliable public transportation for everyone (or even the majority) near Atlanta. The HOT lanes don't seem so promising either. Some people already use the HOV lane illegally anyways, and will the addition of one or two lanes really make a difference--especially when one is required to pay a toll?
We shall see within the next two years how effective and pervasive these new improvements will be for all of us. If traffic becomes alleviated within the next couple of years, I'll know that this project not only worked, but also was under the contribution of my school--Georgia Tech--go Jackets!
-Jo Kim
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