Express Lanes Meeting Leave Many With Unanswered Questions

SANDY SPRINGS, GA — Dr. Julie Zweig was among several dozen Sandy Springs residents and stakeholders, Fulton County Schools employees and other people who showed up at Dunwoody Springs Elementary School Monday to learn about the proposed express lanes along Ga. 400 and Interstate 285.

Dr. Zweig and others in attendance, however, left the Jan. 14 meeting with little to no information on how this project would impact their quality of life and their children's schools. What few details she did learn about the Georgia Department of Transportation's project left her with questions about the impact to her home in the Northridge Forest community.

GDOT's meeting, which was organized at the request of the Fulton County School System, was the first of two gatherings that will be held this week in Sandy Springs. The next meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 16 at Riverwood International Charter School at 5900 Raider Drive.

Attendees at the Jan. 14 meeting were treated to a presentation and were asked to give feedback using comment cards. No questions were taken by GDOT officials. Residents were also treated to an overview of GDOT's plans of improving mobility around the state, including existing express lanes operating around the region.

GDOT's Tim Matthews, the program manager for the agency's Major Mobility Investment Program, outlined the Sandy Springs-area project for attendees. The overall project would install two express lanes in each direction on I-285 from near the Paces Ferry Road interchange in Cobb County to Henderson Road in DeKalb County.

It would also build the lanes on Ga. 400 from the North Springs MARTA Station to McFarland Parkway in Forsyth County. The Ga. 400 piece would tie into the Transform 285/400 project that's currently under construction.

GDOT's very early concept for the I-285 project calls for installing two new barrier-separated express lanes in both directions. The lanes would be elevated in some areas and at grade in others. Matthews said elevating the lanes would allow the agency to use as much of the existing right-of-way as possible. These lanes would be built outside the existing general purpose lanes.

Matthews said GDOT isn't as far along on this project as it is on the Ga. 400 piece, so public information open houses are scheduled to be held in late 2019 and early 2020. If everything goes to plan, right-of-way acquisition could begin in 2019 and continue through 2021. Construction is predicted to start in the third quarter of 2023, and the lanes would open to traffic in 2028.

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For Ga. 400, this project calls for two express lanes in each direction from the North Springs station to the McGinnis Ferry Road overpass. The project would be reduced to just one lane in each direction from McGinnis Ferry to McFarland Parkway in Forsyth County.

Matthews also said portions of this project would be elevated from the MARTA Station to about Northridge Road. The project would return to grade level at that area and continue in that same vain until it reaches McGinnis Ferry. One notable difference with this project is the express lanes would be constructed between the collector/distributor lanes related to the I-285/Ga. 400 interchange reconstruction and the existing general purpose lanes.

Since this project is a little ahead of the I-285 counterpart, GDOT has scheduled four public information open houses to be held in February and March to allow residents to weigh in on proposed express lanes along Ga. 400:

Feb. 28

• 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Hilton Garden Inn Atlanta North/Alpharetta, 4025 Windward Plaza, Alpharetta

March 5

• 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Forsyth Conference Center, 3410 Ronald Reagan Boulevard, Cumming

March 7

• 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Atlanta - Roswell, 1075 Holcomb Bridge Road, Roswell

March 12

• 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at City Springs, 1 Galambos Way, Sandy Springs

Right-of-way acquisition for the Ga. 400 piece could start in 2019 and continue through 2020. If all goes to plan, construction could start in late 2021, and these lanes would open to traffic in 2024.

Dr. Zweig said at first glance, she's concerned because her location won't allow her to easily access the express lanes, but she would have to carry the "burden" of the construction once the project begins. She also said she has some heartburn about the project's impact to the community "because the highway will be close to our beautiful neighborhoods." She also said she felt there should be a focus on public transportation options as opposed to expanding roadways.

Sandy Springs City Councilman Chris Burnett told Patch the majority of the feedback from residents center around the need for GDOT to provide more details about the impact the lanes will have on the community. He said he believes the upcoming public information open houses will be "where the rubber meets the road" when it comes to residents getting considerable insight into the project.

Fulton County School Board member Julia Bernath was diplomatic in her response to Monday's presentation. While the meeting was informative, Bernath said there's still the need for more details.

"I still have a lot of questions," she said, adding she was glad to see the Dunwoody Springs cafeteria filled with residents.

Bernath also encouraged the community to continue to weigh in and provide feedback on what GDOT is seeking to build in the Sandy Springs community. In turn, Bernath also said she hopes GDOT will listen to the comments and concerns from Fulton County School parents and teachers and "understand the impact this could have on our schools and surrounding neighborhoods."

You can keep abreast of GDOT's project by visiting the website for the Ga. 400 express lanes. To sign up for email updates, send your information to 400expresslanes@dot.ga.gov or call 404-556-9816.

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