Energy and Emissions Impacts of Atlanta’s Reversible Express Toll Lanes and High-Occupancy Toll Lanes

This report summarizes the impact on corridor-level energy use and emissions associated with the 2018 opening of the I-75 Northwest Corridor (NWC) and I-85 Express Lanes in Atlanta, GA. The research team tracked changes in vehicle throughput on the managed lane corridors (extracted from GDOT’s Georgia NaviGAtor machine vision system after comprehensive QA/QC) and performed a difference-in-difference analysis to exclude regional changes, pairing test sites vs. control sites not influenced by the openings. The results show a large increase in overall peak-period vehicle throughput on the NWC, especially on I-575, due to the congestion decrease (20 mph speed increases at some locations). The increase in corridor-level energy use and emissions was smaller than vehicle throughput, but still significant. Predicted downwind maximum CO concentrations only increased from 1.81 ppm to 1.93 ppm (which remains extremely low). The increase in morning peak activity on the corridor likely resulted from diversion of some traffic into the peak from the shoulder periods, diversion of some traffic from other nearby freeway corridors, and diversion of local road traffic into the corridor. Unfortunately, without overall control volume totals and/or pre-and-post travel behavior surveys for the alternative commute routes, it is not possible to quantify the likely reductions in traffic flow and emissions that occurred along the other corridors that likely resulted from morning commute shifts. Hence, the team cannot draw reliable conclusions related to net regional or sub-regional impacts associated with the new managed lane corridors. The impact observed on the I-85 corridor was much smaller than on the NWC, especially at Indian Trail/Lilburn Road (far from the Express Lane Extension). After the Express Lanes opened, energy use and emission rates at Old Peachtree Road increased slightly (as uncongested vehicle speeds increased), but this increase may be short-lived as traffic on the corridor changes over time. View the NCST Project Webpage