Gov. Nathan Deal has asked the Georgia Department of Transportation to look into whether Ga. 400 could be expanded using High Occupancy Toll lanes.

He says with more and more high tech companies locating in the corridor, something has to be done to address traffic congestion.

“Those are the kinds of jobs we want, and if we want them, we have to be able to demonstrate that they can get back and forth to the city of Atlanta and the airport quickly,” he tells WSB’s Sandra Parrish.

He says, as promised, the current toll booths on the highway will come down next December.  But if HOT lanes were added, they would be optional to drivers.

“I think everybody understands you have to have a revenue stream to be able to pay for the cost of those kinds of projects because they are very expensive,” he says.

The lanes would be similar to those planned for Interstates 75 and 575 in Cobb and Cherokee Counties. Those lanes will be reversible and have now gone out to bid with completion set for 2016.