To reduce congestion and improve mobility along one of Georgia’s most heavily traveled corridors, The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) created the Major Mobility Investment Program (MMIP). With an investment totaling $11 billion, MMIP includes three interchange projects, four express lanes projects, three highway widening projects and one commercial vehicle lanes project. The I-285 Top End Express Lanes project will improve mobility by adding two elevated, barrier-separated express lanes in both directions between I-75 and I-85, a stretch of interstate that carries more than 240,000 vehicles every weekday.
As part of the project’s design-build team, VHB led the development of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), modeling over 3,800 noise-sensitive locations on an accelerated project timetable with a Record of Decision expected in 2023. Our team identified ecological and historic resources, minority and/or low-income communities, evaluated impacts to communities and their resources, and assessed indirect and cumulative impacts. VHB’s Air Quality & Noise Analysis team conducted assessments on a 30-mile stretch of the I-285 loop surrounding Atlanta. VHB coordinated efforts with GDOT and other agencies and facilitated public meetings involving the communities surrounding the corridor.
With the addition of the new express lanes, the community will benefit from minimized traffic, increased connectivity, and improved health with the reduction of transportation noise for the surrounding areas.
