The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) is working on a project that will create 40 miles of toll-free, truck-only roadway stretching from the metro Atlanta area to Macon.
GDOT To Build Two Lanes Of Northbound I-75 For Trucks Only
The GDOT project is called “I-75 Commercial Vehicle Lanes”, and planners say that it will “improve mobility and enhance safety for passenger vehicles and freight operators by constructing two, northbound, barrier-separated lanes for commercial vehicles on Interstate 75 between McDonough and Macon.”
The project will cost an estimated $1.8 billion.
$1.8 Billion Project Called The First Of Its Kind In The U.S.
According to GDOT Operations Director John Hibbard, this would be the first roadway in the U.S. designated for commercial vehicle traffic only: “Not simply identifying lanes saying that this right lane is for trucks, it is its own separate roadway.”
Though critics of the project say that it is too expensive, GDOT sees the truck-only lanes as a viable solution for reducing heavy traffic on the state’s interstates. The I-75 Commercial Lanes Project is expected to reduce traffic delays on northbound I-75 by 40%. The state also sees the truck-only lanes as a potential testing ground for self-driving truck technology.
GDOT plans to ask for federal funding for the truck-only interstate, but Governor Nathan Deal says that the state can move forward with the project even without federal funding thanks to state revenue generated by an increase in fuel taxes put into place in 2015.
Georgia transportation officials are expected to select a general engineering consultant by the end of the year. Construction is slated to begin in 2025 and to be completed by 2029.
You can click here for more information on the project.