PCIDs backs I-285 and Ga. 400 Improvements

Perimeter businesses are putting their support behind major improvements at the I-285 and Ga. 400 junction, an intersection that studies show is one of the most congested in the nation.

Perimeter Community Improvement Districts said the $450 million project is key to ensuring the health of the Perimeter area, one of the largest office markets in metro Atlanta.

“The passage of the I-285 and Georgia 400 resolution represents substantial business support from the Central Perimeter business community,” said Yvonne Williams, president and CEO of the PCIDs.  “Our boards include the owners of the highest valued commercial property in the PCIDs, which form the heart of the Central Perimeter Market."

The Perimeter office market draws more than 120,000 employees who commute to work daily. More than 200,000 vehicles headed to Perimeter pass through the problem juncture on a daily basis, according to PCIDs officials.

The local improvement district said it will meet with "regional" and "public/private" partners to secure funding for the local project, which was in line to receive millions from TSPLOST. TSPLOST was overwhelmingly shot down by coters across the state this summer.

“We are now meeting with our regional partners to secure formal support for the I-285 and Georgia 400 Interchange and to create innovative financial involvement to move this estimated $450 million project forward,” Williams said.

The PCIDs was integral in reaping funding to redesign the interchange at I-285 and Ashford Dunwoody Road into the state's first "diverging diamond interchange."

The intersection, still under construction, allows vehicles to access the interstate without having to turn across traffic.

The PCIDs have been involved with the Hammond Road Half-Diamond Interchange, the Perimeter Center Parkway Bridge across I-285 and the Abernathy Road improvements at Ga. 400.

The Texas Transportation Institute calls the northern part of I-285 beltway as one of the worst in the nation.