The Georgia Department of Transportation is planning a 40-mile, toll-free, truck-only highway set to begin construction in 2025.
According to Georgia Department of Transportation’s Press Release, GDOT is still searching for a general engineering consultant and is awaiting a response from the federal government regarding funding for the $1.8 billion project, but say that, regardless of federal funding, GDOT will be moving forward with the project using funds gathered by the state’s Transportation Funding Act, which raised fuel prices back in 2015.
John Hibbard, GDOT Operations Director, says that the truck-only highway will be the first of its kind in the United States, and will be a two-lane, toll-free, northbound highway from McDonough, Georgia in central Henry County to Macon, Georgia, reported WABE NPR.
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“[It is] not simply identifying lanes saying that this right lane is for trucks, it is its own separate roadway, and will even have its own exits and entrances,” Hibbard said.
GDOT expects the truck-only highway to improve safety for both motorists and truckers, as well as improve congestion issues by 40% on the nearby Interstate 75 north. GDOT also plans to use the truck-only highway as a testing ground for self-driving trucks, specifically platooning technology.
“This truck-only highway is an important part of what our future transportation system should and will look like,” said Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal.
The truck-only highway is just the beginning of Georgia’s Major Mobility Investment Program, which plans to improve more that 300 miles of Georgia highway by 2030.
