Lawmakers hear GDOT data as agency presses for $1.8 billion for South Metro express lanes

State planning director Janine Miller told the House Transportation Committee that growing congestion and freight demand on the I‑75 South Metro Corridor justify new state investment and swift use of federal and state funding tools. She said the amended budget includes SIRTA payments that help support express-lane operations and that the state is accepting applications to the Georgia Transportation Infrastructure Bank through February 13, including a $7.5 million allocation for airport hangars.

Miller cited private‑sector mobility data and GDOT’s travel‑demand modeling to sketch the scale of the problem. She said INRIX labeled Metro Atlanta among the nation’s worst for congestion growth and that the corridor experienced a steep increase in hours lost to traffic. Using December data, Miller said the corridor produced hundreds of thousands of vehicle‑hours of delay, which she estimated cost the economy about $15.5 million for that month alone.

She also argued the corridor is vital to freight: about 18–20% of vehicles there are trucks (roughly 30,000 trucks per day), carrying an estimated $620 million in daily freight value. Citing the American Trucking Associations, Miller said the corridor ranks as one of the nation’s worst freight bottlenecks.

On revenue and operations, Miller said tolls first pay debt service for lane construction, then operation and maintenance costs, with reserves built over time. Toll prices are set by an algorithmic pricing model that is informed and adjusted by human operators to manage supply and keep lanes fluid. She added that trucks are generally not allowed in express lanes today and that enforcement relies on state patrol support.

Committee members pressed GDOT staff on the schedule for related projects. GDOT said truck‑lane work from I‑16 to I‑75 remains in engineering, with right‑of‑way funded in 2028 and procurement later, pending environmental approvals. The agency also said it is piloting strategies to address truck parking shortages and is exploring public–private partnership models and federal grant opportunities.

The committee did not vote on funding during the hearing. Miller urged members to spread the word about the GTIB application window and said the department will continue follow‑up with local governments on airport hangar applications.

The committee adjourned the GDOT briefings after several hours of member questions and moved to a separate discussion on a proposed airports bill.