Parsons’ I-75 South Metro Reversible Express Lane Project opens

Pasadena, Calif. — Parsons announced that the I-75 South Metro reversible express lane project will open during the Jan. 28-29 weekend, giving Atlanta motorists the option to travel nearly 13 miles between Highway 138 and Highway 155 on the new, double-lane addition to the I-75 median. The lanes will carry traffic northbound toward downtown Atlanta during the morning rush hour and southbound during midday and peak afternoon and evening traffic.

Parsons prepared conceptual design reports for the I-75 South Metro project — including lane configuration and access studies — as well as the environmental document. The Georgia Department of Transportation’s (GDOT’s) NaviGAtor software — a rebranded version of Parsons’ Intelligent NETworks advanced transportation management system — will be used to monitor the express lanes. In addition, Parsons’ Intelligent NETworks has been installed at the State Roadway and Tolling Authority (SRTA) to display the current toll rates on changeable message signs based on traffic volume.

Because the I-75 express lanes are the first reversible lanes in the state, Parsons’ incident management specialists developed standard operational guidelines and training materials for the GDOT Highway Emergency Response Operators. In addition, Parsons developed the emergency response plans for the reversible lanes, training more than 1,000 emergency responders.

“The Atlanta region is growing rapidly, putting increased demand on the existing transportation infrastructure,” said Michael Johnson, Parsons Group President. “To efficiently meet the needs of the traveling public and keep the regional economy growing, smart solutions such as reversible express lanes are necessary to increase the capacity of existing roads and highways. We’re grateful to bring our expertise in intelligent transportation systems, tolling, and incident management to this important project.”

Parsons’ Intelligent NETworks will be used to display comparative speeds on dynamic message signs, showing the current average speed along the corridor for the express lanes and for the general purpose lanes. In addition, the software will monitor the express lanes via traffic sensors and video cameras to help coordinate response to any incidents that might occur on the corridor. Enhanced features will immediately notify roadway operators if a vehicle is detected traveling the wrong way. In addition, Parsons’ software allows for center-to-center connection between SRTA software and NaviGAtor to help automate coordination between the two agencies while operating the express lanes.