The Atlanta congestion reduction demonstration projects intended to reduce congestion on the I-85 corridor northeast of Atlanta with tolling, transit, transportation demand strategies, and technology.
Atlanta, Georgia, United States
Deteriorating performance of the high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes on I-85 during peak periods as a result of heavy usage provided the focus of the Atlanta congestion reduction demonstration projects. To address the performance problems, the following strategies were deployed:
- Conversion of the existing HOV lane to high occupancy/toll (HOT) lanes, called Express Lanes on 16 miles of I-85 northeast of Atlanta
- Addition of 12 new buses and 3 new bus routes
- Four new or expanded park and ride facilities
- Targeted outreach to increase the number of 3-person carpools from existing 2-person carpools and single-occupant vehicles
- Deployment of innovative enforcement technologies on the Express Lanes
Evaluation of the deployments considered the period before and a period of one year after deployment.
Costs
The Atlanta Congestion Reduction Demonstration (CRD) project costs were divided into Planning, Design, and Construction/Purchase Costs and Operations and Maintenance Costs. The following tables summarize the overall costs for the CRD projects in Atlanta.
Planning, Design, and Construction/Purchase Costs
CRD Project Component
|
Planning, Design, and Construction/Purchase Costs (2011 Dollars)
|
HOT Lanes on I-85 | |
Highway Design |
$6,755,030
|
Construction for Tolling (gantries, fiber, signs)* |
$16,490,211
|
Tolling System (development, equipment, readers) |
$24,068,187
|
Marketing and Communications |
$3,300,000
|
Customer Service Center Start Up |
$1,600,000
|
Enforcement |
$573,000
|
TOTAL |
$52,786,428
|
12 New Buses with 3 New Bus Routes* |
$5,793,912
|
Park-and-Ride Lots (3 new and 1 expanded) | |
Mall of Georgia (lease) |
$1,040,000
|
Dacula / Hebron Baptist (lease) |
$495,000
|
I-985 / GA20 (expansion)* |
$2,484,181
|
Hamilton Mill (new)* |
$5,005,736
|
TOTAL |
$9,024,917
|
Carpooling Outreach | |
Clean Air Campaign Lead |
$57,000
|
SRTA Lead |
$173,522
|
TOTAL |
$230,522
|
Monitoring and Evaluation | |
National Evaluation |
$625,000
|
Performance Monitoring |
$2,000,000
|
TOTAL |
$2,625,000
|
GRAND TOTAL |
$70,460,779
|
*indicates this item will have a salvage value after 10 years
Operations and Maintenance Costs
CRD Project Component
|
Operations and Maintenance Costs (years 2011 to 2021 in 2011 dollars)
|
HOT Lanes on I-85 | |
Overhead |
$9,230,080
|
Traffic Operations Center |
$3,130,908
|
Customer Service Center/Violations |
$13,784,128
|
Lane Equipment |
$8,498,179
|
ITS |
$2,764,958
|
Enforcement |
$1,870,413
|
Other |
$1,382,479
|
TOTAL |
$40,661,145
|
12 New Buses with 3 New Bus Routes |
$15,121,391
|
Park-and-Ride Lots (3 new and 1 expanded) |
$114,189
|
GRAND TOTAL |
$55,896,725
|
Atlanta Congestion Reduction Demonstration: National Evaluation Report
The Atlanta congestion reduction demonstration projects capital cost - $70,460,779 Ongoing Maintenance - $5,589,672 annually for 10 years