northwest corridor project

I-285 Express Lanes would include several Cobb County access points

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I-285 Express Lanes
The Northwest Corridor Express Lanes will connect to I-285 and managed lanes to be built between I-85 and I-20 by 2028. (East Cobb News file photo)

The $834 million Northwest Corridor Express Lanes that are set to open soon (and with an access point on Roswell Road, near the Big Chicken, as seen above), are part of the initial phase of the colossal I-285 Express Lanes project to address congestion on Atlanta’s suburban northside.

The Georgia Department of Transportation has been holding information sessions with local government bodies about its Major Mobility Investment Program, a total of 11 projects that are expected to be completed over the next decade or so.

On Tuesday, Cobb commissioners were briefed at a work session about the I-285 Express Lanes, which would range between I-85 in Gwinnett County and I-20 west of Atlanta.

The toll road projects, dubbed the I-285 Top End Express Lanes (fact sheet) and the I-285 Westside Express Lanes (fact sheet), would be fully complete by 2028, connecting to I-75 and I-575 in Cobb and Cherokee and the Northwest Corridor managed lanes.

The Top End project will cost an estimated $4.2 billion, with expected completion by 2028. That corridor currently handles around 240,000 vehicle trips a day.

The Westside project is expected to cost around $655 million, and is slated to open to traffic by 2026. Unlike the Northwest Corridor, which will have reversible lanes, the Westside project will have an express lane in each direction, inside existing general purpose lanes.

Tim Matthews, the MMIP project manager for Georgia DOT, told commissioners that three Cobb County access points are being proposed for Westside project. Two are at Mt. Wilkinson Parkway and Cumberland Parkway.

Another would be at 285 and Cumberland Boulevard. That access point was chosen over Akers Mill Road, both for cost and traffic demand reasons.

Matthews said the Cumberland Boulevard access point would cost an estimated $15 million, compared to a $110 million price tag for Akers Mill. Planned development in the Akers Mill area also was a hindrance for access point consideration.

The Cumberland Boulevard access point also would serve traffic projected by the year 2040 to be around 25,000 vehicles per day, compared to around 17,000 at Akers Mill.

Although that may not seem like a lot, Matthews said “that’s a significant difference.”

He said the proposed locations are not final, but represent a “baseline access map” that could be altered, since the project will be taken to the public and also because of land acquisition issues that could come up.

No proposed access points for the Top End Express Lanes were presented at the commission work session.

The next steps for Georgia DOT with both projects are to address environmental issues, which are underway and will take around three years, and to have public comment periods in 2019 and 2020. Right-of-way acquisition is expected take place in 2021-22, with construction starting in 2023.

 

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Northwest Corridor Project update: Cobb managed lanes slated for late summer opening

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Northwest Corridor Project, Roswell Road interchange
An interchange at Roswell Road and I-75 will be one of several entry and exit points for East Cobb motorists using the Northwest Corridor lanes. (East Cobb News photo by Wendy Parker)

The Northwest Corridor Project express lanes designed to relieve traffic on I-75 and I-575 in Cobb and Cherokee counties are anticipated to be fully operational by the Labor Day weekend.

UPDATED: Northwest Corridor Lanes opening Saturday, Sept. 8

But now’s a good time to purchase the required passes for driving along the nearly 30 miles of managed lanes, which are nearly complete after more than five years of planning and construction.

That’s the message from Steven Lively, the Georgia Department of Transportation’s program delivery manager for major projects.

Earlier this week, he provided an update to the East Cobb Civic Association. While the general expected opening of the lanes is still “late summer,” he said “we hope to have traffic in the system by Labor Day.”

Resurfacing I-75 along the Express Lanes route, and on I-285 between the Chattahoochee River and Cobb Parkway is expected to be done by Aug. 31, he said.

The “Peach Pass” is currently being used on other managed lane and toll routes in Georgia, and will soon be expanded to the Northwest Corridor Project.

The pass is an electronic transponder device with an adhesive that sticks to a windshield or front bumper. Motorists purchase the passes in advance of their first time using the lanes, and then refill their accounts with money, depending on how much they use the lanes.

“We encourage people to use the system when it benefits them,” Lively said. “It may not be an everyday option but you get to make a choice.”

Motorists can apply online here to set up an account (for an initial fee of $20), and passes will be mailed. There’s also a mobile app for the Peach Pass.

The costs will be based on what’s called “dynamic pricing,” which rise as demand increases and is reduced during off-peak hours, Lively said.

He said toll charges for the Northwest Corridor routes will be set later by the State Road and Tollway Authority (SRTA).

Fines will apply to motorists who enter the lanes without a Peach Pass, or with one that’s expired, or if an account has insufficient funds, as well as for driving a vehicle that’s unregistered for Peach Pass use (more on fines here).

The finishing touches of the project, including testing of electronic signs and other devices at the interchanges, are underway now, according to Lively, who said the project is around 95 percent complete.

The $834 million project—the biggest in state transportation history—stretches in two lanes along I-75 from Akers Mill Road to Hickory Grove Road in Acworth. Three of the six interchanges will be easily accessible to East Cobb motorists: Akers Mill Road, Terrell Mill Road and Roswell Road.

The Express Lanes also include a spur at the I-75 junction that then goes up I-575 in a single lane to Sixes Road near Canton. Three sets of “slip ramps” include a northbound exit and a southbound entrance at Shallowford Road in Northeast Cobb.

Northwest Corridor Project Map

The managed lanes will be for southbound traffic in the morning, and northbound traffic in the afternoon rush hour. Lively said the express lanes will be closed for three hours in between to clear vehicles and reverse the direction of the traffic flow.

Georgia DOT estimates that the Express Lanes can ultimately save motorists up to 43 minutes on their daily commute time, depending on how long their travel is on that route, and that drivers in the general lanes could have their traffic time reduced by as much as 16 minutes.

 

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North Marietta Parkway exit ramp from I-75 closed Thursday night to Friday morning

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North Marietta Parkway exit ramp, Northwest Corridor Project

The latest rolling closure in the continuing Northwest Corridor Express Lanes Project will take place from 8 p.m. tonight to 5 a.m. Friday at the southbound North Marietta Parkway exit ramp from Interstate.

Georgia DOT says the ramp will be closed for asphalt work.

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Windy Hill Road southbound ramp at Interstate 75 closed overnight Tuesday and Wednesday

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Northwest Corridor Project

Some midweek overnight bridge work on the Windy Hill Road southbound ramp to Interstate 75 is being done on the continuing Northwest Corridor Project tonight and Wednesday night that may affect some East Cobb motorists.

From 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. both nights, it’s a multiple-lane closure: A double-left-lane closure starts at 11 p.m., then shifts to a triple-left-lane closure beginning at midnight until 5 a.m.

This closure extends—again, only in the southbound direction—from north of Windy Hill Road to Windy Ridge Parkway.

More on the Northwest Corridor project can be found here.

 

 

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I-75 south ramp to South Marietta Parkway closed overnights through Saturday morning

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I-75 ramp at South Marietta Parkway

The Georgia Department of Transportation has announced that the I-75 south ramp to South Marietta Parkway will be closed overnight, starting tonight, and for the next two nights, as part of the Northwest Corridor Project.

The closures will begin at 9 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and the ramp will reopen on Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 5 a.m.

The map above, provided by Georgia DOT, shows the detour while the ramp is closed. Here are more details from the agency’s release today:

I-75 southbound motorists traveling to South Marietta Parkway will be directed to remain on I-75 and take Exit 261 for Delk Road and turn right. Motorists will then turn right onto Cobb Parkway to resume travel.

ADVISORY: Dates may change due to weather or other factors. Motorists are advised to expect delays, exercise caution, and reduce their speed while traveling through work zones. Before heading out, get real-time information on work status and traffic conditions. Call 511, visit 511ga.org, or download the Georgia 511 app. 
 
Please visit the project website at http://www.dot.ga.gov/DS/GEL/NWC to stay informed, or email northwestcorridor@dot.ga.gov to subscribe to weekly traffic alerts.

 

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Delk Road southbound exit ramp to I-75 to be closed Thursday 8 p.m.—Friday 5 a.m.

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Northwest Corridor Project, I-75 at Delk Road

This notice and accompanying map of the detour route were just released by Cobb County Government:

Georgia Department of Transportation construction partners will close the I-75 southbound exit ramp to Delk Road to install a barrier wall on the bridge overhead. The construction is part of the I-75 Northwest Corridor Express Lanes project.WHEN: Thursday, July 20, 8 p.m. – Friday, July 21, 5 a.m.

WHERE: I-75 Southbound Exit Ramp to Delk Road Closure – Motorists traveling I-75 southbound to Delk Road will be directed to take exit 263 for South Marietta Parkway. From there, motorists will be directed to turn right onto South Marietta Parkway, followed by a left onto Cobb Parkway. Motorists will then resume travel on Delk Road.

ADVISORY: Exact dates may change due to weather or other extenuating factors. Motorists are advised to expect delays, exercise caution, and reduce their speed while traveling through work zones. Before heading out, get real-time information on work status and traffic conditions. Call 511, visit 511ga.org, or download the Georgia 511 app.

Please visit the project website at http://www.dot.ga.gov/DS/GEL/NWC to stay informed, or email northwestcorridor@dot.ga.gov to subscribe to weekly traffic alerts.