Austin Scott: Lift the toll on Ga. 400
The Republican campaign for governor continued at the state Capitol this afternoon.
State Rep. Austin Scott (R-Tifton), in an apparent attempt to attract the attention of metro Atlanta commuters, has introduced HB 1443, which would dismantle the State Road and Tollway Authority as well as the toll on Ga. 400 – which raises $22 million annually.
Quoting from his press release:
“When this project began, citizens and government agreed that the toll would come down when the road was paid for. Yet when Roy Barnes was governor, he directed a change in the legislation that will leave the toll up indefinitely.
“Now more than ever, Georgians should be concerned with their ever-expanding government. Why should taxpayers spend $20 million to run an agency that provides $2 million in road maintenance?”
But this is from an article written last March by my AJC colleague Ariel Hart:
Not only will drivers continue to pay a toll on Ga. 400 through 2011, but they may be paying even more tolls in the future.
As of this fiscal year, the authority owes $26.6 million in principal and interest on the debt incurred by building Ga. 400, said Cherie Gibson, spokeswoman for the State Road and Tollway Authority. That’s less than the $32 million the state has on hand, sitting in reserve accounts. That money represents tolls collected, as well as interest and investments from the toll money.
But Georgia can’t pay off the Ga. 400 debt, authority officials say, because it has to stick to a payment schedule that runs through 2011.
The 6.2-mile extension of Ga. 400 inside the perimeter opened in 1993, and was financed by tolls. Some neighborhoods may have despised the roadway, but it was a hit with drivers and the tolls poured in.
For instant updates, follow me on Twitter.
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
127 comments Add your comment
NoBama
March 23rd, 2010
2:51 pm
another example of mis-managed government entities. this surely bodes well for obamacare
The Political AVENGER, ta-da
March 23rd, 2010
2:54 pm
Once you give the government the chance to get your money you won’t get it back. Politicians “buy” their seats with “our” money.
CrazyInGA
March 23rd, 2010
2:55 pm
If you don’t want to pay, take the exit prior to the toll, idiot.
Gabe
March 23rd, 2010
2:57 pm
Where’s the other $18M? Is the State Road and Tollway Authority spending it or does it move to another agency?
Take down the toll
March 23rd, 2010
2:58 pm
This is a perfect example of a politician taking charge and working to shrink that size of government. Austin Scott seems to understand the needs of the state and really be a proponent of smaller government that better represents the taxpayers
JASon
March 23rd, 2010
2:59 pm
They promised to use the toll just to finish paying for the roadway. THEY LIED.
Typical gov't
March 23rd, 2010
3:00 pm
Gov’t always does this. When do you ever see a sales tax decrease. Roy Barnes is a typical goofy democrat with an annoying accent. It was funny though to see him and the other dem running backtrack on the passing of obamacare not saying how happy they were.
Toll Payer
March 23rd, 2010
3:01 pm
Keep the toll, toll more roads, and use the money to pay for maintenance and expansion of those tolled roads. People should pay for what they use. I’m tired of my tax money four-laning roads in Valdosta, Waycross and Allllll-ban-eee.
Jeff
March 23rd, 2010
3:01 pm
Clark howard has mentioned this a few times over the years. This is what politicians do. Lie and steal and mismanage money and give kickbacks. Just like obamacare.
Toll Troll
March 23rd, 2010
3:02 pm
Who cares about .50 cents, the state can use this money to help with the upkeep of other roads around Atlanta. No one has to sit in traffic on Highway 400, if they do not want to. They can sit in traffic on another road!
Ian
March 23rd, 2010
3:03 pm
Toll payer = Idiot
Doug
March 23rd, 2010
3:04 pm
Sure. Take the exit before the toll…and waste 30 minutes on side streets to get back to ga 400 North or South of the toll. Bottom line… this was approved only as a short term measure with no agreement to collect the toll after the road was paid for.
Ian
March 23rd, 2010
3:06 pm
Who cares?
$1.00 per day for most commuters x 260 days is $260 you give up each year.
JAT
March 23rd, 2010
3:06 pm
I guess that CrazyInGA is the only idiot that likes paying the toll. Get rid of the toll!
Whatever
March 23rd, 2010
3:06 pm
Why doesn’t he just behave like other Republicans and throw a brick through their window.
Mary
March 23rd, 2010
3:08 pm
“This is a perfect example of a politician taking charge and working to shrink that size of government.”
OMG, that is hilarious. It has nothing to do with “shrinking the size of govt.” It’s about him trying to get elected.
Independent Thinker
March 23rd, 2010
3:09 pm
Political Avenger: Politicians don’t buy their seats with our tax money ~ the corporations buy their seats for them!! Right on Toll Payer! People why are you trying to shoot yourselves in your own feet? We need healthcare reform!! This is America, one of the richest countries in the world! We should be altruistic enough to care for all. When I read a quote from a financial manager, who says that his high 6-figure clients don’t pay any more taxes than your average schoolteacher, it makes my hair curl!! Should we do away with Social Security, Medicare, public schools, transportation, etc.? Don’t listen to the moronic talking heads, who are only in it for the money. Do you really think they believe half of what that spout and spew?? Think for yourselves. So many of you proclaim this is a “Chiristian” country – is that what your religion teaches you: not to help those in need. Get over your fear and bigotry and join the rest of the Western World!!
Rich
March 23rd, 2010
3:10 pm
THe promise made when it was started was that the toll would pay for the road and then stop. They lied, now let’s stop the toll. It is the people’s money, not the government’s money. This will not impact me, I have paid the toll may 6 times. It is about what is right and wrong.
Toll Tired
March 23rd, 2010
3:12 pm
The GA 400 Toll was supposed to be used to pay for the GA 400 expansion. Once that expansion was paid for the toll was to stop. The road was paid for several years ago and now the commuters who use 400 are paying for repairs and new roads all over the state. Frankly, those who use I-75, I-85, I 20, I-285 and other roads that lead into, out of and around Atlanta need to pay their fair share of the upkeep!
Lindsey
March 23rd, 2010
3:13 pm
As of driver along GA 400 everyday I know for sure the toll money is not used for maintenance! 400 stinks, there is always traffic, they should be true to their word and take down the toll. Wait…what am I thinking a politician being honest, no way that is going to happen!
MBAGrad
March 23rd, 2010
3:14 pm
Wrong just wrong. If it must stay up then we deserve an explanation of where this money is going or how it will be used.
Bill
March 23rd, 2010
3:16 pm
Heck, even New York took down the toll on the Hutch!
DRH
March 23rd, 2010
3:16 pm
So NOW Austin Scott cares about the people of Dunwoody? Thanks for blocking and delaying our cityhood for a year, Mr. Scott. Who knew that one day you’d run for statewide office and that I can help block you.
DW
March 23rd, 2010
3:16 pm
@crazy Do you enjoy paying for things and then paying for them over and over and over again yet not getting anything?
Rich
March 23rd, 2010
3:17 pm
Toll Payer – Gas tax is meant to pay for road maintenance. If there is not enough or is it being used poorly, we should raise the gas tax. Not use tolls, unless most roads have tolls.
itpdude
March 23rd, 2010
3:18 pm
GA 400 as a toll-way was explicitly approved because the toll would be eliminated once the road was paid for. It’s been paid for. Execute the deal. When I paid off my car, I didn’t keep on paying Ford Finance. My end of the bargain was satisfied and while Ford would have loved continuing collecting my monthly payments, they were ethical enough to hold up their end of the deal. A deal is a deal.
Jon
March 23rd, 2010
3:18 pm
Scott is just mad that the money is used for metro ATL roads. If he could siphon some off to build a 16-lane highway from Tifton to Albany, he would.
Alphare
March 23rd, 2010
3:19 pm
Why don’t let others pay a little since most of us don’t pass that toll way gate anyway.
I’d say keep the toll for another one hundred years.
BTW, Sunny has been in office for 8 years now, if you count 1 chance a year, he’s got 8 chances to abolish Roy Barnes’ establishment, if you count 12 chances a year, he’s got 96 chances to abolish what Roy Barnes established.
Do you really think Austin Scott will abolish the thing if he is elected?
Road Scholar
March 23rd, 2010
3:20 pm
Doug: “Sure. Take the exit before the toll…and waste 30 minutes on side streets to get back to ga 400 North or South of the toll.”
It’s your right isn’t it?
There are still monies to be paid to pay off the project. After that, pay for the southern connection to I 85to the north to address congestion and mobility. Then do something/anything to the I285/SR 400 interchange.Tolls can still be used to improve the corridor.
Oh, and by the way, when is the ATMS project going to be finished? It’s been years since it was started. (Do you see the cables sticking out of the holes in the shoulders?)
JAT
March 23rd, 2010
3:22 pm
Well said Independent Thinker. I am so over these so called Christian Republicans who are anything but christian! It is so funny how greedy and selfish they all are; just the opposite of what they proclaim to be! I’ve got mine, screw everyone else!
Scott For Georgia
March 23rd, 2010
3:27 pm
1. When did this project begin? The GA 400 toll project began in 1990 and opened formally in 1993 as the last section of GA 400 to be constructed.
2. How much did it cost? The cost of the project was $271 million, and the money came from funds from the Georgia Department of Transportation, the federal government, revenue bonds and MARTA. Approximately $25-30 million is still owed on the bonds, which are due in 2011.
3. When did they say it would be taken down? Originally, the GA 400 toll road would be removed in 2011 when the bonds were due. However, in 2001 the Georgia Legislature changed the intent of the toll road, and its commissioning, specifically changing it as follows:
The tolls no longer “Shall’ come down, but “May” be turned over to the Georgia Highway Authority and remain free of tolls.
This occurred with 2001’s SB134, section 1-14, and it should be noted that it’s now up to the SRTA itself, once all bonds are repaid, to determine if the tollway should be turned over to the Georgia Highway Authority and become toll-free. The bill’s sponsors were his Floor Leader Charles Tanksley and four Senate Democrats.
When questioned in a 2009 11 Alive interview, Governor Perdue was noncommittal about removing the toll road.
4. How much has it made since that time? According to the AJC,
“Of the $22 million or so the state reaps from Ga. 400 drivers, about $7 million goes to running the toll authority and $9 million a year goes to paying down the debt.”
Roughly $2 Million of the above Toll Authority costs taken from annual revenue is spent on maintaining the road, and there are incidentals such as the occasional repaving and salaries of staffers of SRTA.
5. Where has the money gone since then? GA 400’s traditional purpose has been to fund other road projects. One of the last major projects to be attached to it was the reconstruction of the northern interchange of I-285.
GA 400 was roughly $26.6 Million in debt as of March 2009, and the state had $32 million set aside to pay it when the project’s bond financing is concluded in 2011. Former Toll Authority Director Gene Evans went on record as saying: “The authority needs to use the excess toll money for salaries of officials who arrange financing for the state Department of Transportation.”
Oldbuckeye
March 23rd, 2010
3:30 pm
Part of my GA 400 stimulus plan – get one of those toll pass cards – and stick it in the armrest. When you pass through the fast lane it won’t register — therefore making a person look at the video to charge you the $.50 for the toll! Just doin’ my little part to keep someone employed.
Shannon
March 23rd, 2010
3:31 pm
All of you bashing OBAMA need to stop and ask yourselves, “if it were BUSH would you be complaining”? Get a grip and stay on the conversation. 400 is located in GA, not on Capital Hill. Complain to the stinkin’ gov’t that runs GA and it’s OLD LAWS (that still hesitate to sell alcohol on Sundays), don’t blame OBAMA for everything that happens or goes wrong in this country! If this is how you want to view the issues around us (since you have GREAT insurance), then maybe you need a reality check! Lack of intelligence simply equals stupidity.
Alphare
March 23rd, 2010
3:36 pm
Scott For Georgia,
since you are a Republican in a republican-controlled legislature, why don’t you talk to your leaders and the Republican governor to abolish the thing? I mean the entire Georgia in you guy’s hand. Democrats have a minority for 8 years now, and you all-righteous Republicans have been in office for 8 long years in the mean time. A little like abolishing the toll gate takes you so long? what else can you accomplish if you guys in stay in office for another 8 years?
Red
March 23rd, 2010
3:39 pm
Bob Irvin tried this back in 2002. Never got anywhere. Once government starts charging for something, they’re very unwilling to give it up even when something was supposed to expire. I applaud Scott for trying this. But under the guise of “we can’t cut any more revenue sources” this is DOA. Ironic – whether money is pouring in or it’s hard times, government will never give back money they took.
Rich
March 23rd, 2010
3:41 pm
Shannon, no one bashed Obama. It was a comparison.
PMC
March 23rd, 2010
3:42 pm
The roll of the tollbooth was to pay for GA 400. It is paid for. Dismantle the Tollbooth.
This doesn’t have to be political at all. The roll of the tollway authority on 400 has ended. End the toll simple. No reason to bicker over politics here.
Rich
March 23rd, 2010
3:43 pm
Remember that many of the “Republicans” were “Democrats” 10 years ago. Same people in power, just a different name.
Lee
March 23rd, 2010
3:44 pm
“The nearest thing to eternal life we will ever see on this earth is a government program.”
- Ronald Reagan
Nonia
March 23rd, 2010
3:46 pm
This Toll was initially intended to pay for 400. Now years after 400 has long been paid for many times over and over again, the revenue has been used as a never ending credit card but, for what?
The money generated from this tollway could have been used to expand Marta around 285 and fully up and down 75/85 and I-20 both east and west bound as a solution to curtail Atlanta’s horrific traffic. The traffic problem in and around Atlanta must be addressed for it has gotten to the point were as companies are reluctant to relocate their headquarters/manufacturing plants here. They are choosing other parts of Georgia such as West Point, Peachtree City, Union City, Savannah…etc or other states altogether.
Shibolden
March 23rd, 2010
3:46 pm
You’all racist north Atlanta MF’s don’t wanna give us anything.. do you? I mean whats $.50 to you?
complainting about $2.50 cent a week, when I caint even feed my babies. Why dont you comes down here an see how is it livin in some free sec 8 housin.. then you’ll see.
My plasma just upen broked on me an they won’t fix it,
PMC
March 23rd, 2010
3:47 pm
If we’re going to do this only to GA 400 commuters and 260 a year isn’t much money… lets charge everyone in GA with a car 260 dollars extra a year for the roads they drive? How will that go over?
US CITIZEN
March 23rd, 2010
3:52 pm
Exactly why you should read all the small printed ammendments and bond request when we step int to the voting booth. GA 400 has been paid for 10 fold yet we are still paying into a state slush fund.
Intown
March 23rd, 2010
3:53 pm
Don’t fall for this. Austin Scott does not give a darn about Metro Atlanta or City of Atlanta residents. But, I’m fine if Repubs want to vote for him because Barnes would wup him in a general election face-off. Scott is a LIGHTWEIGHT.
SKA
March 23rd, 2010
3:55 pm
How quickly we forget what it was like to drive north of Holcomb Bridge
Road before they expanded to 4 lanes. Where do you think they got and are still getting the money to pay for that? The toll. Now if they orignally got some of the money from MARTA, I wish they would give some of that toll money back in to extend the MARTA train up 400 now.
LtMike
March 23rd, 2010
3:56 pm
Good for Austin Scott. This road has been purchased time and time again. Like they say….Once the government gets hold of your money, you can’t get it back. Let’s prove them wrong!
Carl Nes
March 23rd, 2010
4:05 pm
The Dems like Roy Barnes outright lie to the public and steal our money, and the Repubs just say it won’t happen like that if you elect them, but then do nothing. One is an outright lie; the other is an abdication of truth. Thanks to scum politicians.
AF
March 23rd, 2010
4:07 pm
How is the money being spent now? If it goes to other road improvements and maintenance, maybe that is not such a bad thing!
Mr. Galloway, can you get that information for us?
Just the Facts
March 23rd, 2010
4:13 pm
Actually, Ga 400 IS NOT paid for. The bonds are not scheduled to be paid off until 2013. BUT, SRTA has MORE than enough cash on hand to pay the bonds off TODAY. The problem is, the bonds cannot be retired early according to the bond covenants. However, that does not mean that SRTA couldn’t escrow the money and have the monthly payments deducted until the debt is retired in 2013.
Here is the net effect of doing just that.
1) You could take the tolls off GA 400 TODAY! Have a party to tear down the toll booths.
2) The 70+ employees of SRTA can be terminated TODAY, saving the state MILLIONS of dollars.
3) Gena Evans, the human wrecking ball, along with all of her high salaried inner circle of groupies, can be terminated TODAY, saving the state MILLIONS more, and probably preventing numerous lawsuits that seem to follow her everywhere she goes.
4) Life gets a little better by all of these events taking place.
All of this was explained to Sonny Perdue at least two years ago, and he chose not act. He has allowed the users of GA 400 to continue to be taxed, even though the state has enough money to retire the bonds. He has allowed his precious Gena to have a nice fat salary for herself and all of her cronies that she takes with her from state job to state job.
Everybody knows we could desperately use the toll revenue for transportation funding in this state. There are other improvements that need to be made to Ga 400. But where I come from, A PROMISE IS A PROMISE. And just like so many other broken promises from Sonny, this one may be the biggest because of the MILLIONS that have been collected needlessly from the drivers along GA 400. Shame on you Sonny. All you have ever cared about is taking care of yourself and your friends at the expense of the taxpayers. All one has to do is drive around Houston County if they want to see it first hand.
matchtuff
March 23rd, 2010
4:13 pm
NoBama what does this story have to do with Obama? Nothing is the answer. Neil Carter=give me a break. Please make on point comments or go enjoy your orange nobama tea that was served today-lol
Actually we are in no position to stop this toll. I would rather pay the 50cents than have higher taxes.
Dagnabbit
March 23rd, 2010
4:16 pm
Marta started the same way. Biiggggg promises were made but it din’t work like promised. (wink wink) and every promise was changed in the same way. I agree with Scott and I think he is well worth looking at as a leader with ethics and morals. But then I am sure there are those who will tell me otherwise.
Robert
March 23rd, 2010
4:16 pm
Let’s not forget King Roy diverted funds from the Toll Road to build a bridge to Atlantic Station.
Time to Punt!
March 23rd, 2010
4:20 pm
The problem is that the politicians forget that they are elected to REPRESENT us and I for one do NOT feel represented by ANYONE in elected office. I will not vote for a single incumbent. If you’re in, you’re out! It’s simply time for a complete change. That is the ONLY way to break up the “good old boy” network and deal making and get back to the business of representing. We’re supposed to put words in their mouths, not the reverse!
Just the Facts
March 23rd, 2010
4:22 pm
Robert:
Just The Facts. Roy did not divert the funds to build a bridge to Atlantic Station. He diverted $10 million to purchase a piece of real estate for a potential future commuter rail station. SRTA still owns the property and the most recent appraisal values the land at several million more than the State paid for it. So, while this was not a legitimate use of Ga 400 toll money, it was a pretty good real estate investment. One thing Roy knows how to do is make money, and that ain’t a bad thing.
smoochies
March 23rd, 2010
4:22 pm
Everything that happens be it in Georgia or in another state is not President Obama’s fault. Stay on the subject. If all the bonds of been paid, then end the toll.
wesleywhatwhat
March 23rd, 2010
4:23 pm
i can’t remember the last time a republican from GA had a decent idea that benefitted the citizens of this state, but i support scott on this issue.
rdh
March 23rd, 2010
4:26 pm
Intown says “Dont fall for this. ”
Fall for what? Who Austin Scott is or what his motives are are irrelevant. What is relevant is that GOVERNMENT agreed that the toll booths would come down when the road had been paid. And now, the road has been paid. Either the government can be trusted or it can’t.
It appears that it can’t. But, this does serve as a lesson to all of the other toll projects in Georgia (such as those HOV lanes in Gwinnett). Once the toll begins, it never goes away. Do not allow tolls on pavement that has already been laid. Permit tolls only on NEW construction.
rdh
March 23rd, 2010
4:27 pm
P.S. all who are reading this: remember what Roy Barnes has done with this project. Do not allow him to fool you twice.
Chris
March 23rd, 2010
4:29 pm
CrazyInGa…that is some good solid dumb right there.
Jason
March 23rd, 2010
4:30 pm
Just the Facts is pretty much correct on the bond details.
The tolls aren’t being kept just for extra money, they’re being kept because SRTA is seen as a way to counter act the power of the bloated inefficient DOT. SRTA is under the control of the governor, DOT is not. Almost every year there is a couple of bills giving SRTA more responsibilities because DOT is a huge black hole into which no one knows what happens to anything that enters.
Removing the toll booth from GA400 would not eliminate all SRTA employees. A majority of them could be let go, sure, but not all. Most of them aren’t even state employees; they’re contractors from one of the parking lot operators. With HOT lanes coming into being in a few years, all of the SRTA infrastructure used for managing GA400 will once again be needed. It would be wasteful to get rid of all of that and the institutional expertise.
Get rid of the tolls as soon as possible. I’m not sure if the bond agreements allow for funds to be paid from an escrow fund (there might be worries of it being raided even though that’s not suppose to be possible) but regardless of if it is this year, next year, or 2013, the state must pay off the bonds according to schedule.
That doesn’t mean SRTA should be merged into the already bloated DOT. SRTA existed for years before there was a GA400. It didn’t have any staff and the board met once or twice a year to discuss toll projects, of which GA400 and the bridge to St. Simons Island were the only two built. The Authority can be kept as an independent entity free of DOT control with minimal expense.
Let’s do this smart and not end up costing the state millions more due to someone’s haste.
ILovetheToll
March 23rd, 2010
4:34 pm
I love the toll. It keeps all of you off 400 and the road clear.
Dagnabbit
March 23rd, 2010
4:38 pm
I like the word legitimate. It wasn’t legitimate then and it is not legitimate now. I like those who try to follow the law and keep their word. They be a rare breed in Jawja politicking.. NoOx Noodeal.
rdh
March 23rd, 2010
4:41 pm
To Ian… I care. If you (or anyone else) doesn’t think $260 is enough to make a difference, send your $260 to me. OH…. so it DOES make a difference when it is coming out of YOUR pocket?
Tyler Durden
March 23rd, 2010
4:46 pm
Hey Independent Thinker, you’re about to become dependent on the State. Let me destroy your arguments one by one:
1 “So many of you proclaim this is a “Chiristian” country – is that what your religion teaches you: not to help those in need. ” Do NOT confuse Christian charity with coerced extraction of earnings through taxation. They are totally different things. Giving voluntarily to people in need is Christian. Taking from those that do and giving to those that don’t at the point of a gun (this is how the IRS operates), is tyrannical.
2. “This is America, one of the richest countries in the world! ” – How do you think that happened? Because of government control? No, it is because of free enterprise. Look around you. Everything (including the computer your typed your moronic comment on, to the car you drive, the home you live in, the sheets you sleep in, the food you consume), is all CREATED by private industry. The reason for our prosperity is the ingenuity that exists in the private sector, that’s it. Government only inhibits innovation.
3. “Should we do away with Social Security, Medicare, public schools, transportation, etc.?” Every one of these programs is either going broke or in terrible condition financially. These programs are highly inefficient and unsustainable long-term, unless you want to become like “the rest of the western world” and go completely broke (see: Greece) propping them up.
This country was built on the principles of liberty and self-reliance. Quit trying to change us into something we were never intended to be. That is all.
Dawgbone
March 23rd, 2010
4:51 pm
I care too..any money taking without proper representation is wrong. We are lazy and should make our voices heard. It is time to be active during these times of tax ‘em more….car tag, gas, groceries, more on cigarettes, etc, etc….our forefathers died over this type of taxation..
Dunwoody Journal Constitution
March 23rd, 2010
4:55 pm
Did the AJC ever keep tabs on our local, state, and federal government? It’s been so long it’s hard to remember when our fair city HAD a newspaper.
So are the employees complaining about paying the toll since you losers are moving to Dunwoody? Imagine that! A major-metro newspaper that ISN’T located in it’s namesake. Might as well be called the Kalamazoo Journal-Constitution.
PS: Who is the publisher this week?
green green
March 23rd, 2010
4:56 pm
Scott for Gov! My man Scott will be on the GOP gubernatorial primary ballot yall.
Unitetogether
March 23rd, 2010
4:59 pm
This is just a cheap trick from a desperate politician who’ll say anything to get elected as governor. I guarantee once it comes down to it, though, it will never happen, or at least not when he says it will.
Alphare
March 23rd, 2010
5:01 pm
Tyler Durden,
If Christian charity is enough, why a lot of people go un-insured then? your argument is coming to full circle don’t you think?
Steve C
March 23rd, 2010
5:03 pm
CrazyInGA
March 23rd, 2010
2:55 pm
If you don’t want to pay, take the exit prior to the toll, idiot.
You missed the point: when the 400 extension was sold to the public, it was under the premise that the tolls would be in place only until the construction was paid for. Now, the elected officials can’t bear the thought of giving up e revenue stream. Just one of many examples of governments saying one thing and doing another.
Just the Facts
March 23rd, 2010
5:04 pm
Jason:
Just The facts. No one has said for certain that SRTA will be the operator for the I-85 HOT lanes. If the complete incompetence shown by Gena and SRTA on the recent technology procurement is any indication of how SRTA operates, then I say SHUT THEM DOWN TODAY! Gena just selected a toll technology for the I-85 HOT lane that IS NOT COMPATABLE WITH ANY OTHER TOLL CARD CURRENTLY IN USE IN AMERICA. That’s right folks, the brilliant, non-bloated management at SRTA picked a toll card that is incompatable with Ga 400 so drivers will have to have 2 toll cards. Plus, any revenue from out of state drivers will be LOST because Gena’s new system won’t work with any other card in AMERICA!!! Pure Genius.
Why would such brilliant management do something so stupid you ask? Well, the vendor who sold SRTA the system, was Transcore, who just happens to be represented by lobbyist Bruce Bowers, who is best buds with Gena. And I suspect they were direct/indirect contributors to a certain campaign for Congress from the 9th District. Hmmmm. See how everything works in Sonny’s world??? Now go count your quarters, Jason.
Speed Racer
March 23rd, 2010
5:04 pm
Independent Thinker: Yes, we should do away with Social Security, Medicare,
public schools because it is not the role of the goverment to take money from
one citizen, using force, to pay for the [retirement/healthcare/education] of
another citizen. As for Christianity, yes we are called on to help others but
that should be OUR undertaking…not the governments.
Sandy Spring For Roy Barnes
March 23rd, 2010
5:05 pm
What do this have to do with Obama …watch out for the tea party
Really?
March 23rd, 2010
5:06 pm
Do any of you honestly think that the state is going to give up $22 million annually and during a severe economic downturn in which excess revenues are few and far between when, as one poster stated earlier, “the DOT is a black hole into which no one knows what happens to anything that enters” (mainly money)? As a matter of fact the state may just distract you with something else to make you forget while they can keep the tolls on and the GA 400 money flowing.
Georgia Voters and Motorists: “Why haven’t those tolls been removed from Georgia 400? What are you doing with that money?”
State of Georgia: “LOOK! OVER THERE, OBAMACARE!”
Georgia Voters and Motorists: “Where?”
State of Georgia: “Works like a charm everytime.”
dd
March 23rd, 2010
5:11 pm
Who’s idea was it not to be able to get directly on 85 North from 400 South?
Why should we have to get off 400 and sit at red lights to find 85 North?
Can someone please explain to me why I can’t get directly on 85 North from 400 South?
Really?
March 23rd, 2010
5:11 pm
“If the complete incompetence shown by Gena and SRTA on the recent technology procurement is any indication of how SRTA operates, then I say SHUT THEM DOWN TODAY!”
Just the Facts: That kind of incompetence is usually cause for a big fat promotion at most levels of government. I say Gena Evans for Governor!
ugaaccountant
March 23rd, 2010
5:12 pm
Jason – You’ve just identified an agency that can be eliminated 100%. GRTA serves no function. No toll roads should exist, period. We’ve got to stop this government growth and toll roads are something we could easily kill in it’s infancy here in GA.
In addition, the fact that our state government doesn’t keep it’s direct promises should be a clear cause of alarm to everyone. No matter what your views on any particular issue, this kind of blatant lies cannot be tolearated. Austin Scott has just won my vote without spending a single dollar. Funny how that works.
george
March 23rd, 2010
5:13 pm
I have been paying this toll every day that I go to work for 7 years. If I want to get to work on time I have to use 400. Now I go home on surface streets because 400 is so backed up in the evening. I don’t think it is right for average folks like me to pay a toll for a road that has been paid for and the money is now used for other road projects. Now I wouldn’t mind paying the toll if the DOT would use the money to fix the badly designed intersection of I-85 and 400. That whole thing was a design snafu from day 1! That would be worth my $1.00!
Gen Neyland
March 23rd, 2010
5:14 pm
Florida’s state goverment actually honored it’s promise on original intent regarding one of it’s tollways a few years back and tore the dang thing down when the project was paid for. GA politicians will tell us GA400 will forever be growing. 4-5 lanes of traffic funneled down to 1 by the time it dumps onto the connector. Brilliant, especially on a Friday…
Idiot Detector
March 23rd, 2010
5:16 pm
Any idiot using the term “Obamacare” is just that… an idiot! It just proves that you’re a non-thinker, and have to listen to Neal, Sean, Rush, and all of the other stupid Republican talk shows for your answers. You’re a like bunch of sorry little sore losers. You didn’t get picked to play, so now you want to take your ball and go home. You little crybaby, whiners! And Republican women shouldn’t even be allowed to speak. They sound dumber than most of them look. A lot of so-called Republicans don’t have a pot to piss in, but they’d rather stay on their little losing bandwagon, so they have something to talk about. I detect a lot of idiots in this country…
The Stuff
March 23rd, 2010
5:18 pm
If you don’t like the toll, stop at the North Springs MARTA station and ride it into town. I kinda like the toll because it cuts down on a lot of the traffic headed into/out of downtown. Makes my ride easier than say I-75. There are plenty of ways around 400, just look into it. Someone does need to legislate where the excess money is spent though. Extend MARTA to Milton, up 75, south towards the Zoo, and towards Tucker (all as orignally planned). http://world.nycsubway.org/us/atlanta/marta-provisions.html
I say if you are going to cut the toll, fix the welfare system, immigration reform, improve education, etc. All of which will never happen. If you got kids, I feel sorry for their future in the state of Georgia. Day laborer will always be a good skillset to have though.
winston smith
March 23rd, 2010
5:18 pm
please send 1 million to me.
kind regards.
john
March 23rd, 2010
5:18 pm
Beavis and But-head are alive and well. Just read above.
sugarfoot
March 23rd, 2010
5:25 pm
I don’t use toll roads. I don’t even eat toll house cookies!
Jason
March 23rd, 2010
5:26 pm
Just the Facts, how about we stick to being civil and leave the attacks to the partisans?
I am in total agreement with you on the issue of not using the same toll technology for the HOT lanes that are used for GA400. But the director of the authority is not the same as the staff. Perdue has gone through at least four different directors at SRTA so it’s not like losing another one would be a big deal. I’m more concerned about the loss of institutional knowledge of how to operate a tollway and how to use the in place infrastructure. By selecting a different technology for the HOT lanes, a large chunk of the current infrastructure is no longer a reason to keep the staff around.
I am not try to argue that the toll on GA400 should be kept forever. If the bond agreement is such that money could be put into escrow today and pay off the bonds when due, I’m all for it. If I’m a bond holder though, I wouldn’t trust the government of Georgia for a second to not raid that escrow fund due to “economic crisis”. I’d want those tollbooths in place since that is the best guarantee of getting paid. Luckily I am not a bond holder and would be happy to see the tollbooths go.
What I would not be happy to see is the state dismantle SRTA today and have to rebuild it two or three years from now. Also because SRTA has other responsibilities than GA400, those jobs would simply move over to DOT rather than be eliminated. Should the HOT lanes be run by DOT? Did anyone see the audit of DOT? I don’t want them anywhere near toll dollars!
How about Rep. Scott find out if the escrow solution is viable. If so, advocate for that. Reduce SRTA’s headcount to what is required for the state’s needs going forward rather than throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
Really?? Independent thinker?
March 23rd, 2010
5:26 pm
Independent Thinker – you are hardly what you say you are. You espouse progressive filth (which actually is Marxist filth but you guys don’t have the balls to admit it). I love the way progressives are now saying we (we being non progressives) arent acting like Christians because we don’t like their socialist movement. Your liberal friends time in power will be ending soon. Praise be God!
Really?
March 23rd, 2010
5:27 pm
dd: That’s just the problem, it was no one’s idea to not be able to get from 400 south to 85 north and from 85 south to 400 north. If I were completely cynical (which I just might be by now), I would assume that the concept of those connections never came up and that Cheshire Bridge to Buford to Sidney Marcus was intended to be the connection for 85 S to 400 N all along. No, scratch that, I should probably assume that the Sidney Marcus connection was thought of much later, probably after the planning for 400 was almost completed (”Oooh, I know, let’s build an on-ramp from Sidney Marcus to 400 North, that’ll be really swell!”).
Actually dd, I think that the missing links from 85 to 400 and vice versa were planned to be apart of the project, but the funding mechanism for the 400 project only allowed for 85 N-400N and 400S to 85S to be built at the time. The planners of the project were just left to hope that the funding for the 85 S to 400 N and 400 S to 85 N ramps would someway and somehow materialize at some unknown date in the future, a date which still happens to be unknown.
ugaaccountant
March 23rd, 2010
5:32 pm
Should the HOT lanes be run by DOT?
Nobody wanted HOT lanes in the first place
Leave it as-is, we are in a budget crisis, remember?
March 23rd, 2010
5:32 pm
I pay my dollar every day on my cruise card. Georgia needs the money…it’s the least I can do to help. If we are laying off State Troopers and Teachers, now is not the time to start cutting off sources of revenue….duh.
/b/No to socialism!!
March 23rd, 2010
5:33 pm
This morning I was awoken by my alarm clock powered by electricity generated by the public power monopoly regulated by the US Department of Energy. I then took a shower in the clean water provided by the municipal water utility. After that, I turned on the TV to one of the FCC regulated channels to see what the national weather service of the National Oceonagraphic and Atmospheric Administration determined the weather was going to be like using satellites designed, built, and launched by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. I watched this while eating my breakfast of US Department of Agriculture inspected food and taking the drugs which have been determined safe by the Food and Drug Administration.
At the appropriate time as regulated by the US Congress and kept accurate by the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the US Naval Observatory, I get into my National Highway Traffic Safety Administration approved automobile and set out to work on the roads built by the local, state, and federal Departments of Transportation, possibly stopping to purchase additional fueld of a quality level determined by the Environmental Protection Agency, using legal tender issued by the Federal Reserve Bank. On the way out the door I deposit any mail I have to be sent out via the US Postal Service and drop the kids off at the public school.
After work, I drive my NHTSA car back home on the DOT roads, to house which has not burned down in my absence because of the state and local building codes and Fire Marshall’s inspection, and which has not been plundered of all its valuables thanks to the local Police Department.
I then log on to the Internet which was developed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Administration and post on freerepublic.com Fox News, and the AJC forums about how SOCIALISM in medicine is BAD because the government can’t do anything right.
MrHughes
March 23rd, 2010
5:37 pm
Tyler Durden, the U.S. became one of the richest countries in the world because of free labor not free enterprise.
MrHughes
March 23rd, 2010
5:40 pm
Just my $0.02… I don’t see why people are so riled up about $0.50.
It’s not like money from GA-400 is being used to go to Cancun for MTV Spring Break. There are much greater ethical violations going on down at the Dome than this. Case and point… Glenn Richarson, who should actually be in jail right now. We argue about $0.50, which is our choice to pay, while people get away with shenanigans.
DMACK
March 23rd, 2010
5:40 pm
I’m for a smaller government………especially if a smaller government means a reduction in services. Who needs toll roads, water and sewer services, police and fire services, and all of the other useless agencies that create a tax burden for its citizens. GIVE ME A BREAK….. If you really want to reduce taxes…..make all political positions ….UNPAID.
Just the Facts
March 23rd, 2010
5:42 pm
Jason, Old buddy, you started being uncivil by your unwarranted attacks on GDOT. Again, Just The Facts, have you actually read the GDOT audit? I doubt it seriously. Or did you just rely on Gena’s propaganda and her WSB-TV hatchet job?
The simple fact is: NOT ONE SINGLE PENNY IS UNACCOUNTED FOR. Nobody stole,misappropriated, or lost a single penny of taxpayer money. That is more than I can say for SRTA who just wasted $1.5 million on a tolling system that is not compatable with any other system in America. And what was SRTA’s response?? “Well, we bought the cheapest system we could find”. The Fact Is the money they will lose to out of state driver would have more than made up the difference in costs. Clean up your own house before you start jumping on somebody else. Peace, Bro!
Really?
March 23rd, 2010
5:47 pm
ugaaccountant:
“Should the HOT lanes be run by DOT?”
Only if you want them to be run into the ground!
I’m not crazy about the concept to converting existing free lanes to HOT Lanes or “Lexus Lanes”. I say if you’re going to build HOT Lanes then build REAL HOT LANES and not a whimpy conversion of an existing lane. I say take a page out of California or Texas’ book and build at least three elevated reversible HOT lanes (or maybe two or three 24-hour elevated HOT Lanes in each direction) over the medians of I-85, I-75, I-20 and, especially, I-285 that add to the existing capacity of the freeway and take the existing HOV lanes and convert them to regular traffic lanes open to all motorists. Just an idea.
Jumpin_Jak_Flash
March 23rd, 2010
5:49 pm
I think they should raise the toll from .50 cents to 5 dollars, and let those who cant afford it carpool. Be nice and much cleaner and maybe get rid of some of the smog. You deserve what you get and what you got. Nothing I have read in the comments here are anything but a bunch of blowhards, that will never do anything but corrupt our goverment even more. Welcome to Thugatlanta goverment and be sure to have stands on the side of roads that sell the tourist and rich people scrating there behinds and picking there nose beer on Sundays to. Hicks everywhere, guess what, look in the mirrow, you one of them. Love That Smog, eat them Grits fat boys and girls. yall have fun now, you here?
Howell
March 23rd, 2010
5:52 pm
I think they ought to leave the toll, and add tolls at the state line on all the interstates crossing our state. Get that money from the tourists, before they spend it in Florida instead! But here’s my favorite part of Scott’s statement:
“The bottom line is the people expect their contract with the government to be a bilateral contract, where the government does what it says it’s going to do,” Scott said.
Tell it to the teachers…
Uncle Tom
March 23rd, 2010
5:58 pm
Speaking of short cuts, is that bridge still closed on P’tree-Dunwoody?
matt
March 23rd, 2010
6:20 pm
The city,county,state and the U.S. Government is failing and our local elected representatives are worried about a 50 cent toll that could be used to fund police and fire rescue . I think taking the funds from the toll and applying it to other parts of the state and local goverment would br a better idea . As long as the goverment could pull it’s head out of it’s a– and use the money wisely. Or we could just keep printing money until we are blue in the face like Obama. This country needs to get it together and get back to the basics .
Road Scholar
March 23rd, 2010
6:22 pm
DD and Really: During the design of the SR 400 Extension from I 285 to I 85 , ramps were laid out to allow for the connection to/from I 85 north. The reason they were not designed and constructed was: 1. The COA agreed not to fight the road if they were left out. They didn’t support it either. and 2. There was not enough money to construct the ramps with the toll projections at the time the financing was decided.
There is presently a project in design that connects the two roads. The layout is very similar to the ramp layout done long ago (1988). Maybe if some of you had attended the public meeting and/or expressed your desire to have the ramps implemented, maybe it could become a priority in this region.
Jason/Just the facts: You are correct in your history of how the tolls were implemented and the construction /operation of the project, except:
The total cost was around $360M counting the expensive land that had to be purchased to build the project. Part of that money came from MARTA for their corridor’s construction and land. They paid 100% of their track, communication etc. beyond the grading and drainage and the median barrier. This cost did not include the acres of land purchased by Fulton County to preserve the corridor since 1956.
Believe me. I spent 5 years through the design, public info, financing, and construction. Some of the “first time ” items were resupporting a 6 level parking deck with daily usage, the toll plaza with electronic tolling (still examined by states and countries as a placeholder in toll design), coordination with a rapid transit corridor, extensive landscaping to mitigate neighborhood impacts, a design of a detention basin /wetland at Lenox and the single point interchange at the Buckhead Loop.
Road Scholar
March 23rd, 2010
6:24 pm
Uncle Tom: The PDR bridge was suppose to open today, subject to the contractor finishing their punch list. It shoud be open to traffic and has pedestrian sidewalks!.
Commuter Tax
March 23rd, 2010
6:27 pm
If there is enough money to pay off the debt then the future toll should only be the amount required to maintain the roadway. I think tolls on roadways such as this that are mainly for commuters are a perfect idea. Those people who choose to live a million miles from the city but want to work downtown and have a fast way to get there should continue to pay for it.
elaine
March 23rd, 2010
6:36 pm
it was approved with a promise that has been broken. Thanks, Austin Scott!
Tim T
March 23rd, 2010
7:33 pm
We need more roads in the Atlanta area with tolls so that the roads pay for themselves…..keep the toll on GA400 and let it help fund other additional toll roads and projects…..If you want to look at a good system of roads (aside from I-4) look at Orlando…..they are getting it right.
bill
March 23rd, 2010
8:18 pm
Actually y’all ought to blame this on George Bush and call it a day!!!
Alphare
March 23rd, 2010
8:45 pm
bill,
you are right on about blaming Bush. Sensing Bush coming to power in 2001, the democrats just knew governments would be financial peril. So they took a preemptive action: keep in toll booth.
John
March 23rd, 2010
9:11 pm
A toll is a tax. Gov’ts need to spend some of what they have. Read my type, no new taxes
UGA 1954
March 23rd, 2010
9:17 pm
Dear “Austin Scott”: I know for a fact that you are not the real Austin Scott. Isn’t there a law against impersonating an elected official? I believe there is and therefore you should tread lightly. You sound like such a baffoon that no one is actually buying into your act.
BIOMASS
March 23rd, 2010
9:25 pm
I hope they keep that 20 lane merge zone with an upped speed limit of 55+ mph.
Better than NASCAR.
Waldo313
March 23rd, 2010
9:38 pm
Once a tax is enacted, not even God can rescind it. Government has a way of spending all the money you give it and never ceasing to need more.
Willie Mae Evans
March 23rd, 2010
9:45 pm
we knew that was not the real Austin Scott…. Thanks state rep. for all you are doing for us! You will be our next governor of ga….
Really?
March 23rd, 2010
9:57 pm
Tim T: Good point about toll roads paying for themselves and other projects, especially in and around the Orlando area. Just one thing though. Georgia doesn’t do infrastructure too well, as a matter of fact, since the opening of GA 400 in 1993, Georgia has hardly done infrastructure at all. Come to think of it, planning and management aren’t particularly strong points either.
While Georgia, and particularly, Metro Atlanta’s population has increased by two-and-a-half million people since the Olympics nary a new state-planned road or locally-planned transit line has opened in that time while the Georgia Department of Transportation has routinely pulled off managerial and accounting hi-jinks of gargantuluan proportions like the $430 million in unpaid invoices found stuffed in a desk at their headquarters after many years. The local politics of the area just don’t seem to accept that roads, trains and infrastructure doesn’t pay for itself. Commuters are just gonna have to be willing to pay higher taxes and/or user fees (tolls and fares) or are going to have to be willing to go without and sit in endless traffic. Oh wait, we sit in endless traffic now don’t we. Oh, well….
Will the REAL Austin Scott please stand up?
March 23rd, 2010
10:00 pm
“Once a tax is enacted, not even God can rescind it. Government has a way of spending all the money you give it and never ceasing to need more.”
Waldo313: Ain’t that the truth!
Will the REAL Austin Scott please stand up?
March 23rd, 2010
10:07 pm
Willie Mae Evans:
“we knew that was not the real Austin Scott…. Thanks state rep. for all you are doing for us! You will be our next governor of ga….”
The only way that Austin Scott will be the next governor of Georgia is if he survives the aftermath of a “Lost, The Final Season”-type political plane wreck in which John Oxendine, Karen Handel and Nathan Deal all self-destruct in spectacular fashion in the Republican Primary. A political plane wreck which seems to be in progress right now as we blog. “We now return to this political plane wreck in progress….”
Wil
March 23rd, 2010
10:14 pm
More tolls should be created throughout the state. How many dollars do you have to pay between Atl and orlando or Atl and Chicago? Let the State make money from all of these people traveling through Ga. going North or South. The locals would know how to get around the tolls. Build the tolls, collect the fees.
Austin Scott's evil twin, Buster Scott
March 23rd, 2010
10:16 pm
When I blast thru the cruise card side of the toll plaza every morning at 6:05, the little green “Thank You” light flashes as I drive by. For the cost of only 50 cents, I get an official government issued ‘Thank You’ every morning. To me, that’s just worth 50 cents. Heck, if there were a road where I could just pay my taxes by driving by stuff, I would be all over that…it sure beats all those silly forms.
Well you can see how people are really, yawn, excited, yawn, about the idea of closing down the toll booths….yawn….snoozzzzzz.
Georgia Driver
March 23rd, 2010
10:21 pm
Pet Peeve: why can’t people understand that the cruise lanes are to the left and the toll-lanes are to the right? Every stinking day, some maroon practically causes a 20 car pileup by doing the last minute panic-lane-change move. They warn you with flashing signs a MILE back from the toll plaza.
road runner
March 23rd, 2010
10:48 pm
Just run the toll an don’t pay for it. Just like the governor does. A free ride works for me, screw Georgia
palepadre
March 24th, 2010
5:00 am
Sounds good. we need government officials to learn how to reign in spending.This is a mini course.
DropTheTollsOnGA400
March 24th, 2010
7:31 am
If you support dropping the tolls on GA 400, then please join Facebook group “DROP THE TOLL ON GA 400!!!”…
http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=111026068914982
R. Mahler
March 24th, 2010
8:42 am
I would say we the toll should stay open, be raised to $2.00 and all the money collected go to MARTA. Put the same toll on 75 and 85. A toll should also be introduced on 285 similar to the ones in New Jersey, take a ticket and when you get off, based on the distance you traveled you pay a toll. Georgia wants to complain about traffic, but all they want is roads with out having to pay for it. Roads are not the answer, Mass Transit is. Make it more expensive to drive then to use Mass transit and the traffic will be reduced.
Satisfied Toller
March 24th, 2010
8:48 am
Keep the toll, let everyone that ride the help continue to pay for the maintenance, overhead, the upkeep of the road. If you don’t like saving time and gas, take another route.It is a road of choice. The road should not have to be maintained by Fulton County taxpayers. Fulton is already broke.If the tolls come down, get ready Fulton county residents for your property taxes and everything else to go up. Vistors and people from the north and south of Ga 400 will be using the road at the expense the Fulton County taxpayers expense.
rdh
March 24th, 2010
10:33 am
Satisfied Toller…you are an idiot. Firstly, MOST of the people using the Toll lane are from north Fulton. Secondly, Fulton doesn’t pay the upkeep bill on 400, 285, 75, or 85. Your taxes will not go up if the toll gate comes down.
MiltonMan
March 24th, 2010
10:45 am
Austin Scott = clown. This is nothing more than an opportunity to “win” votes & to increase his pathetic 3-5% rating for the GOP nomination. This guy does not support Milton County, arming college students, etc. but “all of a sudden” supports this??? Austin, does us a favor, go back to Tifton.
MiltonMan
March 24th, 2010
10:47 am
Satisfied, are you serious??? Man, you need to educate yourself on the difference between funding/maintaining an interstate highway, a state highway & a county road. You must have been educated by the city of Atlanta.
oldfart
March 24th, 2010
11:19 am
Obvious pandering.
John
March 29th, 2010
7:15 pm
Satisfied toller. I suppose your fine paying idiots 200k to run a toll road. A term limit was established with the creation of this road. Violating this term does not surprise me given the lies of Purdue and Evans, however thanks to an upcomming election, both will be gone, just like the toll booths.
Interesting that they are using HOT lanes to continue this nonsense of the SRTA. $1.00 a mile. Are you kidding? Can’t wait for the class-action law suit for elitism. Perhaps Purdue and Evans can afford it, but the rest of us can’t.