The third and final in-person public information meeting of the I-85 Transit Study took place May 14 at Shorty Howell Park.
Gwinnett County and the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) are conducting a study of I-85 between I-285 and I-985, with a focus on improving safety, mobility and economic impact.
The study area is roughly 18 miles long and is primarily located within Gwinnett County, with a small portion in DeKalb County. The study will propose solutions for the corridor to reduce congestion, enhance traffic operations and improve safety.
Through collaboration with stakeholders and the public, a wide range of potential alternatives will be identified and analyzed, and recommendations will be developed for implementation, according to both agencies.
State and county partnership
“We’ve got a great partnership with GDOT. We’ve done several projects with them over the years. So this was just a natural progression,” said Jerry T. Oberholtzer, director of transportation planning for the Gwinnett County Department of Transportation.
“It’s time to look at this corridor to see what we’re going to need for the future. This corridor means so much to the county. It means so much to the region and really to the state.”
His counterparts at the state level agreed.
“It’s not unusual for us to partner with counties and cities,” said Kelly Martin, assistant director for metro and rural planning with GDOT. “Sometimes we’ll get approached by a county or city if they’re interested in a corridor study or a multi county study. At times, they may provide a local match and we will use planning funds to do a study of the area.”
But this particular study is the first of its kind in Georgia.
“It’s not new nationally to transportation, but some of the benefits of this type of study [are that] we’re really getting more in-depth as far as doing more extensive early-stage outreach than we would normally do,” she said.
Although all studies involve some sort of stakeholder and public outreach, this is getting deep into evaluation on environmental activities along the corridor earlier.
“The idea is that we have a lot of information to pass along to our designers for when they become actual projects,” Martin added. “In theory, this speeds up the process on the back end.”
Utilizing PEL to identify potential projects
The study is utilizing the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) framework, which has identified 16 potential transportation projects. This methodology encourages transportation decision-makers to incorporate environmental considerations and community and economic goals early in the transportation planning process.
Decision-makers can then rely on more robust planning analysis, studies and decisions throughout project development and during the environmental review processes of the projects. PEL aims to create a more unified decision-making process, resulting in less duplication of efforts and more informed project-level decisions.
“This was a really good effort to look at not just how we fix the interstate itself, but what do we need in future?” said Oberholtzer. “This project also looks at the different crossings and the different users. It looks at how people are interacting with the interstate, how they’re getting across, how they’re getting on and off.”
“It looks at freight movement as well in the area,” he added, “and then, of course, transit and how transit is currently integrated and how it might be integrated in the future.”
Part of the larger picture
Even if you don’t live or work in Gwinnett County, the changes will affect you.
“Gwinnett is seeing itself more as part of the center of the region, no longer just an outer county, as we see growth going on in Jackson, Barrow, Walden and Hall counties,” Oberholtzer said. “There are people who are commuting through Gwinnett and to Gwinnett. We’re seeing people commute out of Gwinnett to those [other] counties as well.”
The old days when everyone went into Atlanta in the mornings and back to the suburbs in the evenings are over.
“While that still is primarily the trend, we’re seeing more and more movement in all directions. And so we have to figure out, how do we move people in all directions at all times of the day?” Oberholtzer said.
Potential projects
When the study began almost six years ago, there were thousands of ideas on how to meet objectives. The process has whittled them down to 16 potential projects that include enhancements to the existing Peach Pass express lane system, improvements to arterials crossing I-85 and multimodal improvements for transit, bicycles and pedestrians. The estimated price tag is $6.4 to $8.4 billion based on today’s construction costs.
I-285 interchange improvements — Projected cost: $325–$425 million
- Reconstruct bridges crossing I-85 on the northeast side of the of I-285 interchange
- Improve northbound I-285 merge
- Reduce weaving
New grade-separated crossing at Nancy Hanks Drive — Projected cost: $75–$100 million
- New crossing over I-85
- Provide pedestrian/bicycle facilities
- Potential express lanes access point
Jimmy Carter Boulevard interchange improvements — Projected cost: $300–$400 million
- Reconfigure interchange to increase capacity
- Modify nearby intersections
- Provide pedestrian/bicycle facilities
Indian Trail Road enhanced transit connection — Projected cost: $125–$175 million
- Transit-only access between express lanes and park-and-ride
New grade-separated crossing at Hillcrest Road — Projected cost: $200–$275 million
- New crossing over I-85
- Provide pedestrian/bicycle facilities
New grade-separated crossing at West Liddell Road/Club Drive — Projected cost: $60–$75 million
- New crossing over I-85
- Provide pedestrian/bicycle facilities
Steve Reynolds Boulevard separated bicycle/pedestrian facility — Projected cost: $10–$15 million
- Provide pedestrian/bicycle facilities
Pleasant Hill Road interchange improvements and separated bicycle/pedestrian facility — Projected cost: $200–$275 million
- Reconfigure interchange to increase capacity
- Provide pedestrian/bicycle facilities
New grade-separated crossing at Gwinnett Place Mall — Projected cost: $50–$75 million
- New crossing over I-85
- Provide pedestrian/bicycle facilities
- Potential express lanes access point
Sugarloaf Parkway enhanced transit connection — Projected cost: $125–$175 million
- Transit-only access between express lanes and park-and-ride
New grade-separated crossing at Northlake Drive/Wildwood Road — Projected cost: $75–$125 million
- New crossing over I-85
- Provide pedestrian/bicycle facilities
- Potential express lanes access point
McGinnis Ferry Road interchange improvements — Projected cost: $50–$75 million
- Adds new north-facing ramp connections
- Provide pedestrian/bicycle facilities
Lawrenceville-Suwanee road interchange improvements — Projected cost: $100–$125 million
- Reconfigure interchange to a diverging diamond interchange (DDI)
- Increase roadway capacity
New grade-separated crossing at Old Peachtree Road/Smithtown Road — Projected cost: $50–$60 million
- New crossing over I-85
- Provide pedestrian/bicycle facilities
- Potential express lanes access point
I-985 interchange improvements — Projected cost: $475–$625 million
- Add new ramp connections
- Extend collector-distributor (C-D) road system
- Accommodate express lanes
Express lane system improvements — Projected cost: $4.5–$5.4 billion
- The existing single express lane in each direction of I-85 will be upgraded to two express lanes in each direction of I-85 between I-285 and I-985.
Capacity, safety and reliability
“Our goal is to create more options. Right now, there’s a set number of exits. And even if you’re going to use the express lanes, you’ve got to get on at those regular exits, work your way to the express lanes and then work your way across when you’re ready to get off,” said Oberholtzer.
Martin agreed.
“Obviously, safety is the first concern anytime we’re looking at new transportation enhancements,” she said. “But with this particular study, one of the goals is to provide a more reliable commute so that you’re not having to leave that huge buffer time just because sometimes you’re getting there in 35 minutes [and] another day might take you an hour.”
Adding capacity to I-85 with express lanes will improve reliability, as more people can access the lanes. And tolling will continue to be used to manage the number of vehicles in the lanes, which helps maintain reliable trip times.
Improving the express lanes on I-85 also opens up the opportunity to enhance transit options on I-85. Improvements to the express lanes will integrate with any potential expansion of transit in the corridor.
“What we’re trying to look forward to is a more reliable commute as the population and traffic growth continues in the metro area,” said Martin.
Next steps
The next phase involves planning and concept development, with actual construction to follow later, depending on funding availability.
“We’d like to move into the next phase and start understanding the concepts of the new construction if we [are] building new bridges on the interstate for new connections or to enhance our existing exits,” said Oberholtzer. “That’s something that I think we can start looking at from a planning standpoint, a concept phase moving forward.”
“But when we talk about actually putting shovel in the ground and building things, and especially when we talk about the express lanes, it’s really hard to give an estimate,” he added, “just because the financial aspect is really what’s going to be the driver of that timeline.”
Martin agreed that a definite timeline is hard to gauge, but public input is still important.
“Public engagement has been extensive, with surveys in multiple languages and outreach at community events. The next phase will refine project details and funding strategies,” she said.
“We have gotten our environmental services and some of our design offices input on the front end. What we’re looking for is that we have a lot of detailed information that can be passed along for the next step in the project development process,” she added, “so that we can see faster implementation and really go ahead and capture any concerns or benefits of the project — or any concerns of the community — ahead of time, before projects move along [in] the process.”
About the corridor
Physical characteristics: This portion of Interstate 85 is 18 miles long with 16 interchanges, six mainline travel lanes in each direction and one high-occupancy toll (HOT) lane in each direction.
Trips: There are up to 340,000 vehicles per day traveling along the busiest part of the corridor.
Congestion: The average morning congestion in the south-bound direction stretches for approximately 11 miles on weekdays.
Freight: This corridor is heavily used by commercial vehicles. Approximately 45% of freight passes through without stopping.
To learn more about the I-85 study go to 85Study.com. Send email questions to 85Study@dot.ga.gov.
