Community Corner

Park and Ride Scheduled to Open This Summer

Work continues at the new 900-space facility at Hamilton Mill Road and I-85.

Work on the new park and ride at Hamilton Mill Road and I-85 is proceeding on schedule, officials say.

Georgia Regional Transportation Authority spokesman William Mecke said he expects the 900-space facility to open this July.

The new park and ride facility will be located between the Sardis Church Road Walmart and I-85 and is funded through the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) Congestion Reduction Demonstration program. The project cost - not including the land - is $1.7 million according to Mecke.

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The $147 million Congestion Reduction Demonstration program, or CRD, is a pilot program funded with a $110 million federal grant and $37 million in state matching funds. As part of the program, the and transit service will be expanded. Two park and ride lots, including the one at Hamilton Mill, are included as part of the project.

Two bus routes are currently planned to service the new facility – one to midtown and a second route to downtown. Once the lot is complete, the midtown route that currently starts at the Mall of Georgia will begin at the Hamilton Mill park and ride, according to current plans. The project also includes the purchase of dozens of new commuter coaches.

Find out what's happening in Daculawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The commuter coaches will travel in the HOT lanes currently under construction on I-85. HOT lanes differ from HOV lanes in that fees are charged based on traffic volume. The more congested the roadways are, the higher the HOT fee will be. The changing fee is designed to keep traffic moving freely and provide more reliable travel times for commuters, according to the Georgia DOT.


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