The addition of express toll lanes in Atlanta is not considered to make the highways more dangerous overall; in fact, safety within the express lanes themselves generally improves, though studies indicate a potential shift of crashes to the general-purpose lanes.
Safety Analysis of Express Lanes
Improved Safety in Express Lanes: Multiple studies, including an in-depth analysis of 55 miles of express lanes in Florida, have shown that converting or introducing express lanes does not compromise overall freeway safety. The express lanes themselves often see a decrease in crash occurrences due to better traffic flow and active management, such as radar-monitored accident alerts.
Increased Incidents in General-Purpose Lanes: A key finding across various studies is an increase in non-severe crashes within the parallel general-purpose (GP) lanes. This suggests a shift of incidents to these lanes, underscoring the need for further studies to refine traffic management strategies for GP lanes.
Safety Features: The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) incorporates specific safety measures into express lane designs, such as:
Physical separation: Some lanes use elevated bridges or concrete barriers and gates at entry/exit points to prevent wrong-way entry.
Shoulders: The lanes are designed with shoulders to allow stranded motorists to safely pull over.
Enforcement: HERO units and video enforcement are used to monitor the lanes and move stalled vehicles quickly, which improves incident response times.
Enhanced materials: New projects, like the GA 400 express lanes, are being built with enhanced concrete designed to limit maintenance needs and boost driver safety.
Ongoing
Projects and Concerns
While the overall safety record in managed lanes is positive, some public concerns and ongoing analysis exist:
Construction Impacts: The construction phases themselves can create temporary "pain points" and require drivers to be more attentive in changing conditions and work zones.
Specific Crash Types: Atlanta accident statistics for 2025 highlight a rising concern for specific types of crashes, such as wrong-way collisions, which is a risk transportation officials aim to mitigate with dedicated infrastructure design.
Public Perception: A 2025 survey in Colorado indicated that nearly two-thirds of drivers agreed that the safety and toll enforcement programs made express lanes safer, but education efforts are ongoing.
In summary, the design and operational strategies of Atlanta's express lanes are intended to improve safety and travel time reliability, and current evidence from similar systems suggests an overall neutral to positive impact on safety within the express lanes themselves, despite potential shifts in crash patterns in other lanes.
In 2025, data and studies regarding Atlanta's express toll lanes (ETLs) indicate that they do not make highways more dangerous overall, though they shift crash patterns between specific lane types.
Safety Impact Findings
Reduced Crashes in Express Lanes: Research highlights that safety within express lanes actually improves compared to general-purpose lanes, with a lower frequency of crashes across all categories.
Crash Shift to General Lanes: While ETLs themselves are safer, studies have noted an increase in incidents within adjacent General-Purpose (GP) lanes, suggesting a "shift" of crashes toward the non-tolled sections of the highway.
Enhanced Monitoring: New projects, such as the GA 400 toll lanes (officially under construction as of December 2025), utilize enhanced concrete to boost safety and radar-monitored traffic alerts to respond to accidents more quickly.
Dedicated Response Units: The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) continues to use HERO units to patrol express lanes, specifically managing reversible lane transitions to prevent wrong-way travel and safely clear stalled vehicles.
Risks and Management Measures
Reversible Lane Transitions: Master Operators undergo rigorous training to ensure reversible express lanes (RELs) transition safely twice daily, minimizing the risk of vehicles traveling in opposite directions.
Enforcement of Rules: To maintain safety, Georgia law prohibits crossing double white pavement striping to enter or exit express lanes. Violators may face fines of $25 plus potential additional citations from law enforcement.
Congestion Relief: Proponents argue that by moving some traffic into dedicated ETLs, overall congestion is reduced, which can lower the risk of rear-end collisions typically associated with heavy stop-and-go traffic.
2025 Project Status
GA 400: Construction began in late 2025 on a 16-mile stretch of GA 400 to add new toll lanes and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) routes.
I-285: GDOT is actively proposing two express lanes in each direction along portions of I-285 to create a seamless regional network.
Toll Policy Change: As of September 30, 2025, Alternative Fuel Vehicles (AFVs) are no longer exempt from tolls and must pay to use express lanes like all other passenger vehicles.
These analyses assess the safety of Atlanta's express toll lanes, confirming their general safety while acknowledging a transfer of crashes to non-tolled sections.
Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader
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