Mobility investment program in Georgia launches with I-85 widening

The state of Georgia has had its fair share of major highway projects over the last few years, and it is not about to slow down any time soon.

Back in 2015, the Georgia legislature passed the long-term Transportation Funding Act (TFA), a measure that provided a significant boost in funding for highway and bridge projects and enabled the Peach State to address its most critical transportation needs.

According to a TRIP report, passage of this legislation has allowed the state to invest in numerous highway improvements. This includes the introduction of the Georgia DOT’s (GDOT) Major Mobility Investment Program (MMIP) — one of the largest funding programs the state has ever attempted to deliver.

“The key goal behind the program is to provide reliable trip times and relieve traffic congestion on our most congested corridors throughout the state,” Tim Matthews, MMIP program manager with GDOT, told Roads & Bridges. “There’s 11 projects in the program, most of which are in the metro [Atlanta] area.” GDOT’s efforts to significantly reduce congestion along with key freight and passenger corridors through the MMIP are projected to result in a 5% reduction in delays and travel times by the year 2030.

The initial 11 projects in the MMIP were pinpointed by transportation officials for their potential to create additional capacity, improve freight movement, provide transportation improvements and efficiencies, enhance safety, and decrease travel times. Combined, these projects will add over 300 new lane-miles in Georgia’s metro areas.

The first MMIP project on the docket is the widening of I-85 beginning at I-985 and extending north to S.R. 53, which aims to reduce congestion across Gwinnett, Barrow, and Jackson counties. This phase of the I-85 widening is the first of three interstate widening projects currently included in the MMIP. The goal of these improvements is to reduce traffic congestion and improve overall safety in the area.