GDOT Meetings on the Widening of I-285 and SR 400

The Georgia Department of Transportation recently held meetings at Dunwoody Springs Elementary School and Riverwood High School to share information with the school community about the planned widening of SR 400 and Interstate 285.

Information presented at the meeting is posted at http://www.dot.ga.gov/DS/GEL/SR400.

The GDOT projects are part of the agency's statewide "Major Mobility Investment Program" (MMIP), which includes construction of express lanes and interchange improvements along the two roadways. At these meetings, GDOT staff shared information about the projects, the project timeline, and future right-of-way acquisitions. They also discussed their “typical” express lane design that will be used throughout the future projects. Once the conceptual design has been completed, GDOT will hold additional meetings to review this design and its impact to certain Fulton schools and administrative buildings. The January meetings, which included a Q&A session at the end of the Riverwood HS meeting, were a continuation of the conversation between Fulton County Schools and GDOT.

GDOT first approached Fulton County Schools to introduce the MMIP program and presented very limited information which did not include specific details about the impact to district facilities. GDOT officials later requested an October 22nd meeting with District staff in which they provided conceptual information that did reveal potential impacts to the schools and administrative buildings.  At its November 6th work session, district staff presented the information that was provided by GDOT (in October) about the potential impact to the following five schools and two administrative buildings (video of the FCS presentation can be found here during Superintendent Reports and the GDOT slide deck at this link):

• Dunwoody Springs Elementary School (SR 400, Sandy Springs) - View the Dunwoody Springs Map
• Woodland Elementary School (SR 400, Sandy Springs) - View the Woodland Map
• Sandy Springs Middle School (SR 400, Sandy Springs) - View the Sandy Springs Map
• New North Maintenance Facility (SR 400, Alpharetta) - View the North Maintenance Facility Map
• Riverwood High School (I-285, Sandy Springs) - View the Riverwood Map 1 | View the Riverwood Map 2
• Heards Ferry Elementary School (I-285, Sandy Springs) - View the Heards Ferry Map
• Administrative Center (I-285, Sandy Springs) - View the FCS Admin Center Map

Fulton County Schools has raised numerous concerns including the impact on student and staff safety, the proximity of the additional lanes to the schools, Georgia Department of Education (GDOE) requirements as well as the effects on playfields, noise levels, and exhaust fumes.

Since the November Board Meeting, GDOT has stated they appreciate the concerns raised by the Board and have made certain revisions to their plans to reduce the impact to these schools and buildings.  GDOT has not provided those revised plans to Fulton County Schools. 

The Board of Education and Fulton County Schools Staff are committed to continually monitoring these plans as they develop and providing critical feedback to GDOT to ensure the safety and security of students and staff, and

Resources related to this project:

• http://www.dot.ga.gov/DS/GEL/SR400
• E-mail - 400Expresslanes@dot.ga.gov
• www.dot.ga.gov/DS/GEL/I285TopEnd
• E-mail - topendexpresslanes@dot.ga.gov
• http://www.dot.ga.gov/IS/MMIP

Upcoming Public Information Open Houses: SR 400 Express Lanes

The Georgia Department of Transportation (Georgia DOT) will hold a series of Public Information Open Houses (PIOHs) concerning the proposed SR 400 Express Lanes (PI 0001757) in Fulton and Forsyth counties. The purpose is to provide the public with opportunities to learn more about the project, ask questions, and provide feedback.

The public is invited to attend the following meetings:

For more information about the project go to the project webpage or email GDOT at 400expresslanes@dot.ga.gov.