Thursday, November 17, 2011
Patch blogged live from the HOT Lane Forum on Thursday evening. You can still join the conversation by posting your comments below.
The group Stolen Lanes is hosting a forum to discuss the I-85 HOT Lane at 7pm at the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center. Patch will be live blogging throughout the event and we're asking our readers to join in on the conversation. You can also read up on Patch's coverage of the HOT Lane controversy so far.
Monday, November 14, 2011
Man jumps 23 feet from a bridge at Pleasant Hill Road into traffic on Interstate 85, police said.
- POLICE & FIRE
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Monday, November 14, 2011
A man jumped from the Pleasant Hill Road bridge onto I-85 traffic Monday, Gwinnett County police said. He wasn't hit by a vehicle, but was injured in the fall. The man, about 25 years old and Hispanic, fell about 23 feet, Cpl. Jake Smith said in an email. Four lanes of I-85 south were shut down temporarily. The extent of the man's injuries weren't yet known, Smith said in an email at 6:50 p.m. Monday.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
A tractor trailer hit an overhead sign at the 85N/316 split, shutting the highway down for hours.
Updated 12:52pm All lanes of I-85N are now re-open. The accident occurred just before 10am Wednesday and involved a single tractor trailer at the 316 split. Gwinnett County Police Department spokesman Cpl. Jake Smith said the driver had an issue with a tire, possibly a flat or loss of tread, and he attempted to pull over. The driver was not able to stop in time and ended up crashing into a support beam for an overhead sign, causing the sign to fall over all lanes of the highway. He was taken to the hospital with serious injuries but is expected to survive. Traffic was backed up for miles and drivers diverted to 316. Here are pictures from the scene. You can use Patch's real time traffic tracker to see how this tie-up may affect your …
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Stop the HOT Lane's organizers will hold a public forum next month.
- GOVERNMENT
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Wednesday, October 26, 2011
In light of Monday evening's heated HOT Lane Town Hall in Buford, Stop the HOT Lane organizers announced another Town Hall for next month. The Town Hall will be held Thursday, November 17 at 7 p.m. at the Gwinnett Justice Administration Center. Howard Rodgers of StopTheHotLane.com says county, state and federal officials will be on hand to answer questions at the non-partisan event. Some frustrated Gwinnett County residents called Monday's meeting "a waste of time." Grayson resident Robert Thompson told an 11Alive reporter he felt bamboozled and "it was strictly political; all they wanted to do is make political speeches." The HOT lane has had drivers hot under the collar since it opened on Oct. 1. The outrage has continued even after …
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Some Gwinnett County residents say they felt duped and didn't get their concerns heard.
Gwinnett County residents were invited by State Senator Renee Unterman to attend a Town Hall Monday evening to discuss the HOT lane. When residents arrived at the event in NorthView Church in Buford, many told Fox 5 Atlanta they were duped and could not speak out about the HOT lane. The meeting was originally scheduled to be a Republican Town Hall, but Unterman invited residents so they could discuss the HOT lane. WSB-TV says many people who attended the event called it "a waste of time." Channel 2 says the first hour was spent listening to politicians and only a half hour was set aside to answer questions about the HOT lane. However, officials only answered questions submitted in advance in writing. "They bamboozled us," Grayson resident…
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
A Lawrenceville man made it his mission to put the brakes on the new HOT Lane on I-85.
Howard Rodgers is tired of traffic. He believed the newly opened HOT Lane on I-85 would ease his commute from Lawrenceville to Atlanta. Instead, he says his commute has doubled. “It’s gone from taking me 45 minutes in each direction to get home, to over an hour and a half, two hours each commute.” So Rodgers started a grassroots campaign to put the brakes on the HOT Lane. On Sunday, Rodgers and his family—who are also tired of the commute—set up camp outside of the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center. They were asking other commuters who were fed up with the HOT Lane to sign a petition. Although “Stop the HOT Lane” only received a few dozen sign-ups in that day, according to the group’s website, more than 1,100 people have given …
Thursday, October 6, 2011
The governor says he will pursue a federal waiver on the number of passengers required for exemption.
- GOVERNMENT
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Thursday, October 6, 2011
Gov. Nathan Deal announced this afternoon that he will implement changes to the new high-occupancy toll lanes on I-85, just four days after the lanes were opened. Starting today, the rates will be lowered. “Looking at what we’ve learned from our first four work days with the HOT lanes, I’ve asked SRTA to improve utilization of the express lanes,” Deal said in a released statement. “In the short term, the toll rate will lower...” The actual amount charged will continue to be variable to control the speed and volume in the lanes. Deal also points to access to the lanes as an issue. “Even before the lanes opened, we knew we needed to improve the access and exit points in the southbound direction. SRTA and the Georgia Department of …
Sunday, October 2, 2011
The new HOT lane is open. Here's what you need to know.
- GOVERNMENT
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Sunday, October 2, 2011
At the stroke of midnight, the HOT lane on I-85 officially opened to traffic early Saturday morning. The High Occupancy Toll, or HOT, lane goes from just south of 285 at Chamblee Tucker Road to Old Peachtree Road. All drivers must now have a Peach Pass and most will pay a fee of 10 to 90 cents per mile. That number will be based upon congestion and distance if there are fewer than three people in a vehicle. There are a few exceptions, such as Alternative Fuel Vehicles with the proper plates, emergency vehicles and motorcycles. WSB-TV's Kerry Kavanaugh tells drivers what they can expect on the ride in the HOT Lane. CBS Atlanta's Renee Starsyk talked to commuters at Discover Mills who say their commute will now be longer because of the HOT …
Thursday, September 15, 2011
A motorcyclist was killed after being struck by a tractor-trailer.
- POLICE & FIRE
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Thursday, September 15, 2011
A Hoschton man was killed in a motorcycle accident which shut down I-85 North during Wednesday evening's rush hour. Investigators say a tire tread may have triggered the fatal accident. Gwinnett County Police say 35-year-old Lonnie Cross was riding his motorcycle in the left lane near the 85/985 split in unincorporated Buford. Investigators say another vehicle had hit a tire tread ahead of Cross, causing the tread to go airborne and strike the rider. Cross then lost control of his motorcycle, which fell down to the ground across the roadway. Cross slid from the bike into the center lane of highway 85, right in the path of a tractor-trailer. The truck driver was unable to stop in time and ran over Cross. The victim was taken to Gwinnett …
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Study backed by Gwinnett Place and Gwinnett Village CIDs will look at alternatives and opportunities from I-285 to the Gwinnett Center.
- GOVERNMENT
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Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Gwinnett County is about to spend $1.1 million and 18 months studying transportation alternatives and opportunities in the I-85 corridor from I-285 to the Gwinnett Center. Atkins North America Inc. has been commissioned to spearhead the study in collaboration with the Gwinnett Village and Gwinnett Place Community Improvement Districts as well as the Federal Transit Administration. Fifty percent of the funding will come from the 2009 Special Local Option Sales Tax Program and 50 percent from a Federal Transit Administration grant. “This project has been a major priority for businesses in the CID for the past several years. We can improve the southern core of Gwinnett by increasing transportation options and providing a significant economic …
Ben
2:42 pm on Wednesday, October 19, 2011
All Tax paying Georgia Citizens, have paid, Payroll Taxes, Property Taxes, County Property Taxes, Taxes on there Vehicles, when we get our Tags Renewed, Fuel Taxes, when we Fuel up, Sales Tax on Gasoline, Oil Changes, Repairs, New Vehicles, Now they want us to pay for a Lane, we have already paid for. All we want to do, is just go to Work, Make Wages, So we can pay the Taxes above, We need these … more ›