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About Atlanta’s I-85 Express Lanes High Occupancy Toll Lane Pilot Project
The I-85 Express Lanes are now open. According to GDOT and the State Road and Tollway Authority (SRTA), the project provides new options for commuters, including expanded transit projects overseen by the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority, and will help create more reliable trip times. The existing High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane has been changed to a High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lane, giving commuters the option to use the lane toll-free when they register for a PeachPass account and travel with three or more people in their vehicle. In addition, commuters with a PeachPass account and fewer than three people in their vehicle can travel in the lane and pay a toll that varies based on congestion levels.
For employers and commuters along this corridor, if your commute takes you down I-85 from Chamblee Tucker Road, just south of I-285, to Old Peachtree Road, The Clean Air Campaign can help you make sense of your options. The Clean Air Campaign and its partners work with more than 1,600 employers and tens of thousands of commuters across Georgia, making programs and resources available at no cost to encourage greater use of alternatives to driving alone.
Commuters:
The Clean Air Campaign is here to help you improve your commute, so consider these options to ride toll-free in the I-85 Express Lanes:
1. Add more people to your carpool - or begin to carpool for the first time - and you can earn $40-$60 gas cards every month (3+ person carpools). And once the Express Lane is open, carpools of three or more with a PeachPass account will be able to use the lane toll-free.
2. Commuting via buses - like GRTA Xpress - and vanpools instead of driving is another option to use the lane at no cost, so you may want to look into these options now.
Commuters who carpool, vanpool, ride transit or use other clean commute options can register for a Guaranteed Ride Home from work, find carpool and vanpool partners and earn financial incentives from The Clean Air Campaign.
Have questions about commute options? E-mail Kate Wilson, Clean Air Campaign Special Projects Coordinator at: expresslane@cleanaircampaign.org
Employers:
Partner with The Clean Air Campaign to develop a commute options program that allows employees the flexibility to use the I-85 Express Lanes toll-free. The Clean Air Campaign can work with you to identify targeted groups of employees who traverse metro Atlanta’s I-85 northeast corridor and suggest commute alternatives to these specific groups. Contact us for more information.