Nathan Deal: Ga. 400 tolls to come down by end of 2013
More later, but here’s the press release just issued – there’s no mention of it, but clearly the timing is intended to help the July 31 vote on the transportation sales tax:
Fulfilling his promise to commuters, Gov. Nathan Deal today announced that he will have the state pay off its bond debt on Dec. 1, 2013, and move rapidly after that to remove the Ga. 400 toll by the end of that year. This will stop collection four years earlier than previously planned.
“Ga. 400 commuters have paid more than their fair share already, and this is the earliest we can bring it down without paying a penalty for early repayment of the bonds,” Deal said. “When the Ga. 400 toll went up, the state of Georgia promised commuters that it wasn’t forever. If we don’t keep that promise, we lose the faith of the people. We face many challenges when it comes to paying for new capacity, particularly in the Atlanta region. There are no easy answers, no secret pots of money, but it is imperative that governments build the trust of their people. As your governor, I will keep the promises I make to you.”
The Ga. 400 toll was originally scheduled to come down after 20 years, ending in 2011. In 2010 – after then-candidate Deal promised to end the toll the following year – the state issued new bonds tied to the toll revenue in order to pay for needed improvements in the Ga. 400 corridor, including a new connector to I-85. The $40 million in new bonds were issued Dec. 1, 2010, and they mature June 1, 2017. But at the three-year mark the state can repay the bonds without a penalty. Further, the state needs time to plan for physically bringing down the gates and the dramatic restructuring that will be needed in the toll area.
“As I have said many times before: I inherited a situation where we could not bring down the gates immediately, and we face a situation where we would have to pay a penalty for early repayment,” Deal said. “This timeline gives commuters a finish line, while still allowing us to meet our obligations. Moving forward, we’ll need to continue to work on long-term solutions to congestion in the 400 corridor. And I look forward to doing that in a transparent fashion that commuters can trust.”
The governor’s proposal requires approval of the State Road and Tollway Authority.
- By Jim Galloway, Political Insider
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412 comments Add your comment
MARTA Rida
July 19th, 2012
11:18 am
Now what other excuses are the anti-TIA crowd gonna bring up? Mistrust for gov’t, great then don’t collect SS or Medicare when you get old. Don’t call the police or fire dept when you need help. Don’t send your kids or grandkids to public schools, use libraries, or visit parks. All these things are paid for with taxes that the untrustworthy gov’t collects.
Wait a sec
July 19th, 2012
11:18 am
Wasn’t the toll plaza just remodeled/upgraded? Isn’t that kinda like a business buying all their employees new uniforms 2 weeks before mass layoffs?
VOTE YES!!!
July 19th, 2012
11:18 am
@ Stan. This referendum will be monitored by annual audits and a citizens oversight committee to ensure fraud, waste, and abuse is eliminated.
Bill Simon
July 19th, 2012
11:18 am
Just like Cobb County’s SPLOST, it will come up for a re-vote 1 year before that 10 years is up…and we’ll hear the same sh*t, different year from you folks on why we have to pass it again. Kill the beast NOW by voting NO!
Julia, too
July 19th, 2012
11:19 am
@Vote Yes!!!! What will stop them from building new roads and then creating more HOT lanes? That is like paying twice for the same road- if you can afford the toll.
North resident
July 19th, 2012
11:19 am
Too late. This looks like the same lie he told to get into office. It seems Gov. Deal is willing to tell this lie/dangle this carrot whenever it is politically expedient to do so.
voteyes!
July 19th, 2012
11:19 am
I think it needs to be called “The Transportation Fair Tax” instead of t-splost. Then people would better understand what it is and why we need to vote yes.
VOTE YES!!!
July 19th, 2012
11:20 am
@ Bill Simon. Perfect! in 9 years if we are not happy with the progress we will vote it down. What a great idea!
PTC DAWG
July 19th, 2012
11:20 am
Ok, someone asked why I’m voting no on splost…..1st, I don’t want ANY more monies going toward propping up marta. And secondly, I am for getting the tax from drivers, ie gas tax. IF we need the money, that is the best way to get it, IMHO. Why should someone who rarely drives have to pay for our roads?
VOTE YES!!!
July 19th, 2012
11:21 am
@ Julia, too. I don’t understand the question. The TSPLOST project list is already defined and there are no toll roads.
Steve
July 19th, 2012
11:21 am
Well, you did promise to remove the tolls which you then decided not to do. Now, with another vote on the horizon you suddenly remove the toll. Kind of smells like a dead fish, or should I say a Dead T-Splost!
foodfight
July 19th, 2012
11:22 am
Sounds familiar. Vote NO on Tsplost. To quote The Who…We won’t be fooled again.
Inquiring minds
July 19th, 2012
11:22 am
Why does it take Deal over a year to “maintain his promise”?
And we think he won’t rescind the offer after the TSPLOST vote fails?
Sorry Gov…too little, too late.
VOTE YES!!!
July 19th, 2012
11:23 am
@ PTC DAWG. Because raising the gas tax will have a negative affect on commercial good and services. Even if you rarely drive you benefit from a better traffic situation. Companies are more likely to relocate here instead of Charlotte or Tampa.
VOTE YES!!!
July 19th, 2012
11:23 am
@ foodfight. The 400 toll is totally different from TSPLOST. TSPLOST MUST end in 10 years BY LAW.
terry
July 19th, 2012
11:24 am
Desperation from tsplost proponents. Why don’t you govt & politicians totally update your bloated, overgrown govt, pensions, benefits, jobs programs, pet projects etc & then come back in 5 years when the economy might be better & possibly by then you can re-gain a smidgen of trust.
I have an idea for money. Sell the airport & let a private business run it. Oops, we can’t do that. The entrenched who have been running this city forever have got to have their precious concessions that they get to sell to a captured audience. I wish I had a business plan like that.
VOTE YES!!!
July 19th, 2012
11:24 am
still waiting for the “no” votes to give a rational reason to not support better traffic in our region….
5150 UOAD
July 19th, 2012
11:26 am
VOTE YES!!!!…..you have been drinking the Government Kool-Aide too damn much.
Ely Abellera
July 19th, 2012
11:26 am
Better late than never! One peice of good news for the day but we were told about this toll ending years ago. Is this for real this time?
j
July 19th, 2012
11:27 am
I agree with James. I drive 400 every morning and it saves me on my commute to work. Take the tolls away, and traffic will get much worse. No, i don’t enjoy paying the tolls but saving me 15 minutes getting to work and sleeping in a little longer is well worth it. I agree that government should keep to their promises but i say keep the toll, and use a portion of the money towards TSPLOST.
JJ
July 19th, 2012
11:27 am
To Vote Yes
I voted NO and would do it again. We need to stop looking for a 20th century solution to a 21st century problem. Telecommuting could significantly reduce traffic in Atlanta without spending a dime. As I see it after ten years of T-SPLOST we will have incomplete projects and a request for a renewal. That’s what happened in Denver.
SAL
July 19th, 2012
11:28 am
@MARTA Rida – Your ignorance is overwhelming. You say, “Mistrust for gov’t, great then don’t collect SS or Medicare when you get old. Don’t call the police or fire dept when you need help. Don’t send your kids or grandkids to public schools, use libraries, or visit parks.” Well in order, if the government allows me to opt out of paying those taxes, I won’t collect them, but that’s not a choice we have now is it. However, if I choose to pay taxes to fund schools and parks, I would expect good schools and parks. By the way, don’t we already pay state income taxes??? Part of those funds are suppose to go to manage the roads. The problem is government incompetence! However, being that you are a “MARTA Rida” I expect this to be out of your intellectual realm.
5150 UOAD
July 19th, 2012
11:28 am
Vote yes…Extend MARTA to Kennesaw St, UGa & towards Macon.
How Dumb Does He Think We Are ?
July 19th, 2012
11:28 am
Pure pandering. Trying to buy votes. If the Gov will switch things back and forth on GA 400 how do we know he won’t do the same on TSPLOST projects. Vote NO on TSPLOST !
wumpy fish
July 19th, 2012
11:29 am
The most transparent motive inspired this announcement, a very prescient group already articulated that, even Chip Rogers could give you the odds on this one.
Bill
July 19th, 2012
11:29 am
VOTE YES…
If you trust the government to keep their promises or do what they “promise” to do, please DONT VOTE … EVER!
TSPLOST has NO chance ..
julia
July 19th, 2012
11:29 am
Jessica no one is bitc**& about it.. just still not voting for the other …
LOL YEAH RIGHT
July 19th, 2012
11:30 am
I’ll believe it when I see it is all I have to say. They’re doing this just in time so people will vote for TSPLOST. What a joke
5150 UOAD
July 19th, 2012
11:31 am
What EVER happened to “The BRAIN TRAIN”? The concept to connect MARTA to Colleges ie. Kennesaw St & UGa.
Yeah, right?
July 19th, 2012
11:32 am
Here I sit, a moderate-social and conservative-fiscal Republican who voted for Governor Deal and Chairman Tim Lee for Cobb County Commission Chairman and I feel so violated by both of these politicians. This move by Gov. Deal is such an obvious attempt to score votes for the 1% T-Splost. While I welcome the removal of the GA400 tolls, I am jaded by the political manipulations of the politicians, I do not trust this governor any more. My soured opinion of Mr. Lee stems from his urgent campaign to pass the last Cobb SPLOST using the idea that if we didn’t then real property taxes would have to raised. Well, he fooled us with that, got the TSPLOST, and still helped raised property taxes. Mr. Lee then jumped on this TSPLOST bandwagon pushing rail transit on Cobb citizens only to turn around and “promise” to move that money to bus transit services when the idea of rail transit was a flop with Cobb citizens. If TSPLOST passes, I fully expect Mr. Lee to move that money back to rail transit. The projects of this transportation tax will not improve traffic congestion. The tax pushes rail transit on those who do not want it and will not use it. The tax pays for community and lifestyle developments for Atlanta residents in the Beltline project. From the Beltline promoter’s own website: “…the most comprehensive revitalization effort ever undertaken in the City of Atlanta and among the largest, most wide-ranging urban redevelopment…” “with a combination of rail, trail, greenspace, housing and art”. Think about that art when you are sitting in traffic on an interstate or side artery road…you will provide art, greenspace, and urban redevelopment to the City of Atlanta with every purchase you make if you pass this tax.
I will be looking for true fiscal conservatives the next go-round.
I’m so sick of these machinations, I am going to vote early today…I want to get my NO vote on the record now.
VOTE NO!
July 19th, 2012
11:32 am
No one trusts any of the people who would handle all this money. Also, I am being SPLOSTED to death. We have so many SPLOSTS going on right now I can no longer keep up with them. Sure roads are not free but how did they get built before the SPLOST weapon was used. Supposedly by the GAS tax and Ad Valorem on cars…So get rid of this and maybe we can talk. In GA we are taxed to death compared to other states….that is an intelligent reason to always vote NO!
julia
July 19th, 2012
11:32 am
VOTE YES!!! bless your heart….. Im still voting NO.. they have LIED In the past.. do you really think they are telling the truth?? if you do… bless your heart…. still voting no! oh and I want Chip Rogers run out of the state too!
puff
July 19th, 2012
11:33 am
He’s trying to undercut the argument that fixed terms taxes turn into permanent taxes – but by making such a big deal (no pun) of ending the already over-extended toll, he is sort of proving the opposite.
Mosell
July 19th, 2012
11:33 am
Quote “If we don’t keep that promise, we lose the faith of the people.” Let’s see here. “The Seat-belt law will never be used as a means to stop people” “The seat-belt law fine will not be move than $5.00 or $10.00″ A promise made YEARS Ago by another politician. “If elected Lieutenant Governor I will do away with the position. It is a position this state does not need.” And as he got elected he was lieutenant governor for 16 years.” Also, Same Politician. “I will only run for Governor for 1 term.” He served 2. I’m sure many of you could add reams of paper to this list. If the promise is kept I’ll be shocked.
Use of Funds
July 19th, 2012
11:34 am
If the toll were to stay up, why can’t the funds go toward other shortfalls like education and teachers? Most folks that pay the toll would see a return on their money with more teachers and less education cuts.
Vote No
July 19th, 2012
11:34 am
Vote yes, Can you explain to me why any company would move to a region with a 9% sales tax?
for real?
July 19th, 2012
11:34 am
Obviously, the timing of this announcement is highly suspect. How can Deal reverse his position that “we have to kkep the toll in place until 2017 because those funds are already committed” and then just stop the end of 2013? As usual with the state policiticans, I smell a rat. TSPLOST…..not my vote.
Here comes Express Lane Tolls!
July 19th, 2012
11:35 am
Don’t be deceived – they have a bigger pot of money in mind. They’ve already planned Express Lanes for GA 400 like they have on I-85. You can read about it on their website. I would rather have them issue new bonds again and pay a 50 cent toll each way rather than as much as $4.65 for a small stretches of road like they do on I-85. They will have multiple Express lane fees that will fluctuate depending on traffic and which stretch of GA 400 you are on from Buckhead to Cumming.
VOTE YES!!!
July 19th, 2012
11:36 am
@ julia. It’s in the LAW. I’m not being told anything. I read it for myself. If you vote before you read the law you are voting for you are no different than Pelosi with Obamacare. Bless your heart.
buchwald
July 19th, 2012
11:36 am
I don’t trust Deal on this, merely a ploy for YES votes on the new tax. SRTA still has to approve the removal of the tolls, what are the chances they’ll do that? I’ll believe Deal only after the toll booths are removed…
jacktipper4
July 19th, 2012
11:36 am
Educate yourself people! Roads must be built and maintained, its essential to a surviving economy. You are either going to pay for it by property tax or a sales tax. I for one would rather split the bill with the tourists, heavy spenders, etc. Not to mention, thousands of jobs are on the line here, most of which are private consultants, engineers, planners, contractors, etc. It actually has very little to do with government. VOTE YES if you want to see forward progress in Georgia.
NOTSO FAST
July 19th, 2012
11:37 am
Wow…I had not planned to vote yes on the tax because I just don’t trust the people in charge but after this promise ,I’m still not going for a yes vote for the same reason.
j
July 19th, 2012
11:37 am
also, i don’t pay the toll coming home from work. I typically just take i20 west, get on 285 north and avoid 400 at all costs (my mileage may be longer going that route but i save 20 minutes). afternoon traffic on 400 is horrible, and i can’t imagine what it’ll be like when the toll is removed. this is just my opinion though. maybe they can remove the tolls on weekends on 400 for people who are traveling? just a thought … obviously, you can appease everyone.
Centrist
July 19th, 2012
11:38 am
Probably several months too late to save TSPLOST. The authors of this tax, the beneficiary construction/ real estate/ accountant/ legal professions, politicians who saw campaign contributions, the AJC, and the Chambers of Commerce who funded the advertising campaign vastly underestimated the opposition.
Georgian
July 19th, 2012
11:38 am
@VOTE YES!!!!
Please stfu…..
Thank You-
Simple Truths
July 19th, 2012
11:39 am
@VOTE YES: So, raising the gas tax will have a negative affect on commercial good and services. But raising the sales tax won’t… That sounds like garbage. In both cases, the cost of the goods to the end buyer rises.
Rock Gaines
July 19th, 2012
11:39 am
5150 UOAD
July 19th, 2012
11:31 am
What EVER happened to “The BRAIN TRAIN”? The concept to connect MARTA to Colleges ie. Kennesaw St & UGa.
The “Brain Train” concept had nothing to do with MARTA. The Brain Train was part of the Commuter Rail project that has been around since the early 2000s.
See http://www.dot.state.ga.us/travelingingeorgia/rail/Pages/CommuterRail.aspx for details.
taxed2death
July 19th, 2012
11:39 am
Shows how desperate elected officials are to get the T Splost Pot ‘O Dough to fund pet projects and keep the government payroll intact for the countless numbers of people employed for project oversight. Getting rid of tolls we SHOULDN’T still be paying only strengthens my oppostion to T Splost.
eddie
July 19th, 2012
11:39 am
why is the repayment of bond and the penalty tied to shutting down the toll lanes? if we have the money to repay now, hold it and pay as the time and penalty allow. why keep charging commuters if we already have enough money to pay the bond?
400 Commuter
July 19th, 2012
11:39 am
PLEASE KEEP THE 400 TOLLS!! I love the express lanes!!! My morning commute will be a nightmare if you take it away!