Aerial rendering of a busy freeway with added elevated lanes highlighted in purple and orange beside heavy traffic below — A rendering shows how new express lanes could run alongside I-285 as part of the planned northern Perimeter project.

Drivers crossing northern I-285 through Sandy Springs and Dunwoody are a step closer to having a paid alternative to the Perimeter’s traffic. But the first new express lanes are not expected to open until 2034, with construction scheduled to begin in 2028.

The State Transportation Board on Oct. 15 selected Top End Mobility Group to develop the first phase of the I-285 East Express Lanes project. The consortium, led by infrastructure company Ferrovial, would design, build, finance, operate and maintain the lanes under a long-term agreement. The initial construction value is estimated at $8.9 billion.

The selection is a major step, though the agreements have not yet been finalized. GDOT’s project announcement puts their anticipated signing in December 2026.

What would change for drivers

The project would add barrier-separated express lanes alongside the existing general-purpose lanes. Drivers would have a choice about whether to use the new lanes.

The first phase would add two westbound express lanes on the outer loop between the Henderson Road area and Northside Drive. That would provide a new paid route across the northern Perimeter toward Sandy Springs, passing the Dunwoody and Perimeter Center area.

For commuters coming from Alpharetta, Roswell, Johns Creek and Forsyth County, the project also has a connection beyond I-285 itself: Ferrovial says the first phase includes links among I-285, Ga. 400 and I-85. Those connections are intended to help build a more continuous regional express-lane network.

Later phases would add lanes in the opposite direction and extend the project south toward I-20 on the eastern side of Atlanta. The full eastern project is expected to take until 2042, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.

How much would it cost to use?

There is no opening-day toll price yet.

According to the AJC, the agreement currently sets a maximum rate of $2.06 per mile, subject to annual inflation adjustments and traffic-flow provisions. At that rate, a 10-mile trip would cost $20.60. That is an illustration of the current cap, not a forecast of the typical toll when the lanes open.

The operator would be required to maintain speeds of at least 45 mph. If speeds fell below that threshold, it could temporarily raise prices above the cap to reduce demand. The State Road and Tollway Authority would monitor pricing.

The private group would collect toll revenue for 50 years. Its proposal also includes a $23.6 billion concession fee to Georgia and $515 million to reimburse the state’s project expenses. The concession fee would be paid over six years, rather than arriving as one immediate payment, the AJC reported.

A possible route for more buses

The lanes could also create a path for additional transit service across northern I-285.

GDOT says transit vehicles would be allowed to use the express lanes without paying a toll. That could give buses a way around congestion in the general-purpose lanes.

MARTA has identified nine potential routes in a preliminary service plan, according to the AJC. Those are possibilities for future service, rather than confirmed routes with opening dates.

For now, the next milestone is the anticipated December agreement. Construction and any resulting changes to daily travel would come later, with the first lanes still roughly eight years from their planned opening.