Northwest Corridor

Georgia’s State Transportation Board (STB) has selected Northwest Express Roadbuilders to construct the $840m Northwest Corridor (NWC) project, which involves building a network of toll lanes along 30 miles of interstates 75 and 575 in Cobb and Cherokee counties.

The project will bring new capacity and more mobility choices for Interstate Highway 75 motorists.

The public-private partnership agreement is expected to be finalised later this year with construction beginning in 2014.

The NWC project is the largest project in Georgia Department of Transportation (DOT) history. It will be financed by a combination of federal, state and private sector funds provided by Northwest Express Roadbuilders. It is expected to open to traffic in 2018.

The STB accepted the $599m bid from Northwest Express Roadbuilders, one of three teams competing to build the new corridor.

The additional $241m will be used for right of way acquisition, administrative expenses, and the construction of a portion of the project by the State Road and Tollway Authority (SRTA)

Motorists will be able to utilise the I-75 and I-575 Express Lanes as well as other managed-lane system roadways by choosing to participate in the SRTA’s Peach Pass programme, which uses remote transponders to assess variable-rate tolls based on traffic volumes.

Vehicles will be able to access the NWC managed-lane system via six new interchanges on I-75 and slip ramp access points from existing lanes on I-575.

The NWC project is a component of the Georgia DOT’s Managed Lanes System network, which aims to provide motorists with options for greater mobility on Metro freeways.

Northwest Express Roadbuilders is a joint venture of Archer Western Contractors of Atlanta, and Hubbard Construction Company of Winter Park, Florida, and Parsons Transportation Group, headquartered in Pasadena, California.

Image: Northwest Corridor Project is aimed at improving the mobility and reducing the road traffic congestion in Atlanta. Photo: courtesy of Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT).