Separate truck lanes proposed for metro Atlanta
In the wake of several horrific truck crashes on metro Atlanta expressways in recent weeks, the State Road and Tollway Authority has released a study proposing three options for trucks-only lanes on the expressways. One option would include two trucks-only toll lanes 24/7 on I-285, I-75 and I-85. The second option would put trucks in the HOV lanes designed for cars during certain hours. The third option would convert the HOV lanes to truck toll lanes 24/7. See AJC article link and below.
The Shigley Law Firm represents plaintiffs in wrongful death and catastrophic injury cases statewide in Georgia, and in other states subject to the multijurisdictional practice and pro hac vice rules in each state. Ken Shigley was designated as a "SuperLawyer" in Atlanta Magazine and one of the "Legal Elite" in Georgia Trend Magazine. He is a Certified Civil Trial Advocate of the National Board of Trial Advocacy, Chair of the Southeastern Motor Carrier Liability Institute and former chair of the Georgia Insurance Law Institute. He particularly focuses on cases arising from truck wrecks and accidents (tractor trailers truck wrecks, semi truck wrecks,18 wheeler truck wrecks, big rig truck wrecks, log truck wrecks, dump truck wrecks).
According to the article at this link: http://www.truckinginfo.com/news/news-print.asp?news_id=53738, California's Transportation Authority approved a $4.5 billion expansion of the state's 710 Freeway earlier this year, including the construction of four elevated truck-only lanes. The plan was designed to help ease container traffic from the massive Los Angeles & Long Beach ports to the Pomona Freeway, but California's fiscal problems have frozen funding for such projects for now.
In 2004 the Reason Foundation, a Los Angeles-based think tank, prepared a very thorough report identifying several long stretches of the nation's highways where truck-only toll lanes could be built, dramatically improving road safety by separating cars and trucks while also significantly reducing shipping costs by enabling the use of larger trucks on those Interstates. The full report is available at this link: http://www.rppi.org/ps316.pdf
The truck-only toll lanes plan would move trucks into their own lanes, separated by concrete jersey barriers. Since trucking companies would be paying tolls to cover the costs of building and operating the lanes, trucks using the toll lanes would be exempt from federal fuel taxes and other federal user charges for miles traveled on the truck-only toll lanes to avoid double taxation.
