PCIDs Commit $10.5 Million to I-285/Ga. 400 Improvements

Last January, Yvonne Williams, President and CEO of the Perimeter Community Improvement Districts, said that despite the failed TSPLOST measure last summer, the PCIDS was still pursuing improvements to the Ga. 400/I-285 interchange.

“We’ve got to keep the needle on this project and see how we can start forwarding its agenda,” said Williams to Rotary Club of Sandy Springs members, in January. “It’s been put on the Atlanta Regional Commission as a new project.” 

On Wednesday, Gov. Nathan Deal announced that the PCIDS has committed $10.5 million to I-285/Ga. 400 Interchange improvements. Deal called it a project of statewide significance. The funds are seed money toward the $450 million project.

A press statement said the PCIDs boards will issue a $10 million bond for project milestones. And the PCIDs have also approved $500,000 for the first phases of the interchange project.

“This project provides important economic and quality of life benefits,” said Deal, “It improves the movement of people and goods across and within the state, expands Georgia’s role as a major logistics hub for global commerce and assists in creating jobs and growing businesses. Due to limited resources, this model of partnership gives us the tools we need to facilitate major transportation projects.”

The Atlanta Regional Commission Board has also voted to include $2 million in Metro Atlanta’s Transportation Improvement Plan this year to continue engineering project development for the interchange. 

“This will position the project to be considered for advancement during the scheduled update of Metro Atlanta’s Regional Transportation Plan and Transportation Improvement Plan next year,” said Williams. “And recent legislative changes will provide more flexibility in funding and construction for the project.”

Perimeter Pull

Deal’s office says Central Perimeter is at the center of regional growth in Metro Atlanta and one of the largest employment centers in the Southeast – larger than the downtowns of Charlotte, Nashville and Jacksonville. Of the more than 123,000 jobs in the area, nearly 90 percent are filled by commuters.

The PCIDs includes Sandy Springs, Dunwoody and Brookhaven. Commercial property owners in the districts pay a voluntary tax towards infrastructure and property improvements. The PCIDs Perimeter area has generated $300 million in tax revenues for the state of Georgia. Recent projects include the Hammond Drive Half Diamond Interchange exit, the Ashford Dunwoody Diverging Diamond Interchange, and Lake Hearn/Perimeter Summit streetscapes, which includes 7,300 feet of sidewalk along Lake Hearn Drive and Parkside Place, benches, trees and lighting.

The Georgia Department of Transportation is currently developing a cost efficient plan for interchange improvements. GDOT expects a federal environmental decision in 2015 for the entire Revive 285 project.

Along with the PCIDs, I-285/Ga. 400 partners include the City of Sandy Springs, Dunwoody, Brookhaven, Chamblee, Doraville, the Sandy Springs/Perimeter Chamber of Commerce, Dunwoody Chamber of Commerce, and the Council for Quality Growth.