The Northwest Corridor Project (NWCP) is located in the Atlanta metropolitan area, northwest of downtown Atlanta, Georgia. It encompasses portions of Cobb and Cherokee counties. Within the NWCP, Interstate (I‑)75 extends to the northwest from downtown Atlanta. The NWCP corridor begins on I‑75 at Akers Mill Road, south of I‑285 in Cobb County, and extends northwesterly through the suburban cities of Smyrna, Marietta, Kennesaw, and Acworth.
The corridor also travels through several unincorporated communities within Cobb County. Within the NWCP, I‑575 splits from I‑75 and extends northeasterly into Cherokee County and the cities of Woodstock and Holly Springs. Within the NWCP, the number of lanes on I‑75 varies from three lanes in each direction to six lanes in each direction. On I‑575, there are two lanes in each direction. Within the NWCP, there are 17 existing general purpose interchanges. On I‑75, one interchange is located about every 1.8 miles (considering I‑285 and Windy Hill Road as a single interchange system), while I‑575 averages one interchange every 1.4 miles.
The existing ROW along I‑75 within the NWCP varies from a minimum of approximately 300 feet up to approximately 2,600 feet. The widest ROW along I‑75 within the NWCP is at Canton Connector (approximately 2,600 feet). The minimum existing ROW along I‑575 within the NWCP is approximately 400 feet. It widens to 1,100 feet at the Chastain Road and Bells Ferry Road interchanges.
The NWCP will utilize toll pricing. Tolls will be collected through the use of electronic tolling systems and will be dynamically priced to maintain a minimum operating speed of 45 mph. Every vehicle using the managed lanes will pay a toll regardless of occupancy, including singleoccupancy vehicles (SOVs), high occupancy vehicles (HOVs) and certified alternative fuel vehicles. The only exceptions are registered transit vehicles (buses and vanpools), military vehicles, and emergency vehicles. Heavy and medium trucks, such as those with more than two axles, will not be permitted to use the managed lanes.
The NWCP is a Design, Build, Finance (DBF) project and has been procured as a Public Private Partnership (P3). The P3 Developer will be responsible for the final design, construction and initial financing of the project. The State will retain responsibility for operations, maintenance, tolling and long‑term financing. The P3 Developer identified five areas for initial construction in 2014 (Phase I) and five areas for construction beginning in 2015 (Phase II). Construction began in the Phase I areas in October 2014 and in the Phase II areas in January 2015.
The Selected Alternative will extend the existing managed lane system on I‑75 south of I‑285 (Akers Mill Road) north along I‑75 and I‑575. This extension of managed lanes on I‑75 will provide system‑to‑system connections to the existing I‑75 managed lanes (HOV lanes, one in each direction terminating at Akers Mill Road), the planned managed lanes on I‑285, and the managed lane extending north along I‑575 that is part of this project. The managed lanes will end north of Hickory Grove Road on I‑75 and south of Sixes Road on I‑575.
Under the Selected Alternative, two new reversible managed lanes will be constructed on I‑75 between Akers Mill Road and the I‑75/I‑575 interchange. A single reversible managed lane will continue north on I‑75 from the I‑75/I‑575 interchange to Hickory Grove Road. Similarly, a single reversible managed lane will continue north on I‑575 from the I‑75/I‑575 interchange to a point north of Ridgewalk Parkway and south of the Sixes Road interchange. The length of the managed‑lane segment on I‑75 is approximately 17 miles, and approximately 11 miles on I‑575. Connecting the I‑75 managed lanes to I‑285 will require approximately 2 miles of construction on I‑285 for a total project length of approximately 30 miles. The new managed lanes south of the I‑75/I‑575 interchange will be designed for highway speeds of 55 mph, while the new managed lanes north of the I‑75/I‑575 interchange will be designed for highway speeds of 65 mph.
Vehicles will use both managed‑lane interchanges and slip ramps to access the reversible lanes. A total of six new managed‑lane interchanges will be constructed on I‑75. These new managedlane interchanges will be separately located from the existing general‑purpose interchanges. In contrast, three pairs of slip ramps will be constructed to provide access to the reversible lane on I‑575. These slip ramps will allow traffic in the inside general‑purpose lanes to merge to the median area of the highway where the new reversible lane would be constructed. Separate slip ramps will be used for northbound and southbound traffic to prevent contra‑flow traffic entering the reversible lane.
The Selected Alternative will require approximately 10 acres of ROW and approximately 4 acres of temporary easements.
The purpose of this Phase III reevaluation is to evaluate the acquisition of five additional areas of ROW and permanent easement. Four areas of ROW are needed for the installation of toll rate notification signs; the fifth area is permanent easement to construct and maintain a new drainage pipe. The minor parcel acquisitions required total approximately 0.082 acres (approximately .012 acres of ROW and approximately .07 acres of permanent easement) and would be purchased from existing commercial properties within the NWCP study area.
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