The Georgia Department of Transportation (Georgia DOT) is hosting a series of in-person Community Conversations and publishing new project information online for the proposed I-285 Eastside Express Lanes project (P.I. No. 0013914) from Henderson Road to just south of I-20. The express lanes project proposes to improve mobility, provide more reliable travel times, and to enhance transit operations along the corridor.

These in-person and online opportunities allow the public to review preliminary information about the proposed Dekalb County project, updated from previous plans shown in June 2019, and connect with project subject matter experts. The project team also released a Community Survey, inquiring how individuals currently travel the I-285 project corridor and discovering areas/environmental factors of interest within the local community.

An earlier iteration of the project envisioned one, optional express lane that was buffer-separated in each direction. As part of the ongoing efforts to deliver the most beneficial transportation projects in the state, Georgia DOT announced in June 2021 a change to the Public-Private Partnership (P3) delivery model of all express lanes on I-285. The revised approach expands the project scope for the I-285 Eastside Express Lanes and shifts many of the financial obligations of the I-285 Express Lanes projects from the state to a private sector partner(s).

This proposed project now focuses on adding two, new, optional express lanes that are barrier-separated in both directions of I-285 from Henderson Road to just south of I-20. The public is invited to attend one of our Community Conversations to learn more about the project and give us your thoughts about potential improvements.

Community Conversations are scheduled from 5-7 p.m. on the following dates and locations:

December 4, 2024: Exchange Park Gym
5-7 p.m. 2771 Columbia Dr., Decatur, GA

December 9, 2024: DoubleTree Hotel,
5-7 p.m. 4156 LaVista Rd., Atlanta, GA

December 10, 2024: Clarkston Baptist Church Gym
5-7 p.m. 3999 Church St., Clarkson, GA

The Community Survey and all information presented at these in-person events will also be available online at the project website in a Virtual Meeting Room accessed at https://i285eastsideexpresslanes-gdot.hub.arcgis.com/.