The July 5 edition of the Georgia Department of Transportation’s Major Mobility Investment Program Newsletter features updates on a project that will have a high impact Cobb County, and is intended to bring public transit to the top end of I-285.

The project is the I-285 Top End Express Lanes Transit Funding and Collaboration Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). This is an agreement among the Georgia Department of Transportation, MARTA, the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC), Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton, and Gwinnett counties to study and plan for the incorporation of Express Lanes Transit (ELT) into the future I-285 Express Lanes.

A ceremonial signing of the Memorandum of Agreement on the project was held on May 11, hosted by the Atlanta-Region Transit Link Authority (ATL).

The newsletter describes the details of the agreement as follows:

This agreement represented a historic collaboration between Georgia DOT and key partners to advance multimodal solutions along the northern half of I-285. Incorporation of ELT into the Department’s I-285 Top End Express Lanes project has been championed by a coalition of cities and community improvement districts (CIDs) along the I-285 Top End corridor. The express lanes are expected to greatly reduce congestion in the region for motorists, while also increasing on-time transit performance and accessibility.

The express lanes on I-285 will add two, new, barrier-separated I-285 lanes in both directions, spanning roughly from I-20 to I-20 on both the east and west sides of Atlanta. As the project development advances, Georgia DOT will coordinate with potential developers proposing on the project so they can be responsive in efforts to potentially enhance ELT as well as not preclude transit as part of the developer selections.

The signatories to the agreement included the following:

• Lisa Cupid, Chairwoman, Cobb County Board of Commissioners
• Michael Thurmond, CEO, DeKalb County
• Robb Pitts, Chairman, Fulton County Board of Commissioners
• Nicole Hendrickson, Chairwoman, Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners
• Anna Roach, Executive Director, ARC
• Chris Tomlinson, Executive Director, ATL
• Russell R. McMurry, P.E., Commissioner, Georgia DOT (represented by Kevin Abel, State Transportation Board Member and Chair of Georgia DOT’s P3 Committee)
• Collie Greenwood, Interim GM & CEO, MARTA.

“Georgia DOT is proud to unite with these important partners to truly advance multimodal solutions along I-285 with this ambitious plan,” said Georgia DOT Commissioner Russell McMurry, quoted in the press release about the signing of the agreement. “Transit along the I-285 corridor has to be part of our solution. This significant and historic opportunity for our region enables this crucial mobility expansion and Georgia DOT is eager to be part of the process.”

Follow this link to the Major Mobility Investment Program Newsletter.

To read the press release about the signing ceremony follow this link.