In the 2011 Georgia General Assembly session, State Representative Bobby Frankilin (R-Marietta) has introduced House Bill 18, which would eliminate the State Road and Tollway Authority (SRTA) and merge its operations into the Georgia DOT (GDOT).

Here is the most interesting (and important) part of the bill IMHO...

"Except as provided in Code Section 40-6-54, no further tolls shall be collected on any
highways, roadways, or other roads under the authority of the State Road and Tollway
Authority on June 30, 2011."

In layman's terms, this bill would drop the existing toll on GA 400, thus making the highway a totally free ride from I-85 to I-285. However, the I-85 HOT lanes, and other such future lanes, would still be legal, since they are "provided in Code Section 40-6-54" under Part (d)...

"The General Assembly finds and declares that the development, improvement, and use of exclusive or preferential high occupancy vehicle lanes, emergency vehicle lanes, and truck lanes or routes should be undertaken in order to relieve congestion and increase the efficiency of the federal-aid highway system. The Department of Transportation in cooperation with the State Road and Tollway Authority is hereby authorized to implement high occupancy toll (HOT) lanes where appropriate in qualifying HOV lanes. A "HOT lane" is a designated lane which allows single occupancy vehicles to gain access to HOV lanes by paying a toll set by the State Road and Tollway Authority. The department may design and develop a system of HOT lanes which uses value pricing and lane management. "Value pricing" recognizes the need to vary the road user charge according to the levels of congestion and time of day; and "lane management" restricts access to the designated HOT lanes based on occupancy, vehicle type, or other objective which would maximize the efficiency of the federal-aid highway system."

If House Bill 18 were to become law, then Georgia Code Section 40-6-54(d) would be would be altered by removing any and all references to SRTA and substituting "Department of Transportation" wherever necessary (per Section 20 of the bill).

As for the SRTA, I can honestly say that I don't have a single ounce of sympathy for their governing board, given that they, then-Governor Sonny Perdue, and the GDOT board had the audacity to break a promise made to us, the Georgia taxpayers, by extending the GA 400 tolls for another ten (10) years. In other words, good riddance to bad rubbish!

Most of all, I hope and pray that our elected officials, regardless of party affiliation, will pass this bill and send it to Governor Nathan Deal for his signature. In terms of overall goodwill toward all Georgians, this will go a long, long way by providing some degree of relief to both individuals and corporations who depend on Georgia's highways for their livelihood.

Finally, I thank David Hofer, blogmaster at "No Tolling To Georgia's Roadways", for letting me know about this bill via his recent comment on my blog post "Possible Legislative Challenge To GA 400 Toll Extension".

In the meantime, I urge all Georgians to take the time to look over House Bill 18 and show your support by contacting your state representatives and senators, and even Governor Deal. If you're not sure about who your state senator and representative is, then I recommend you visit the Georgia House of Representatives website and click on "Write Your Lawmaker"... and please tell all your friends about it as well.

That's it for now. Thanks for reading and please come back often.

SOURCES:
- David Hofer, "No Tolling To Georgia's Roadways" blogsite
- House Bill 18 , Georgia House of Representatives website
- O.C.G.A. § 40-6-54, LexusNexus Georgia Code Search

 

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