Gov. Deal: Ga. 400 toll will end next year
ATLANTA -
You can say goodbye to the toll on Ga. 400. Governor Nathan Deal announced Thursday that the toll will come to an end next year.
No specific end date was given, but Governor Deal said it will happen by the end of 2013. He said the state plans to pay off bonds backed by bond revenue early, thus ending the toll early. The tolls were originally set to end in 2017.
"There are time frames in which you can act, and we are acting at the earliest possible time frame to be able to remove the tolls, and to be able to pay off the bonds without causing the taxpayers to have to pay penalties for doing so," said Deal.
A section of Ga. 400 opened in 1993 with a toll in place, and expectations that the toll would eventually be eliminated. A few years ago, state officials under the previous governor extended the toll to pay for new construction projects along the highway.
Deal tied the announcement to the metro area's upcoming transportation tax referendum on the July 31 primary ballot, calling the move a "good faith effort" to restore public trust in government spending. Opponents of the tax have raised concerns about how such funds would be handled.
Deal also pointed to one of the larger items on the region's infrastructure wish list, which would put $400 million into a project at Ga. 400 and I-285 if the ballot measure passes.
Video and article here:
http://www.myfoxatlanta.com/story/19064325/gov-deal-ga-400-toll-will-end
If all goes well we'll be moving up to exit 11 on 575 in april though.. so a little further away from y'all.
