SR 400 Express Lanes, Georgia, US

Background

The SR400 Express Lanes Project includes the design, build, financing, maintenance, and operations of a 16-mile (25-km) corridor in the Atlanta region, the 8th largest city in the US by population, in Georgia(1). The corridor will be upgraded and expanded to include two additional dynamically-tolled free-flow express lanes in each direction. The Project will also encompass the upgrade of several key bridges along the route.
The project will be developed under a c. 56-year Design, Build, Finance, Operate and Maintain contract with the Georgia Department of Transportation (“GDOT”).
SR400 Express Lanes has been designed with the goal of improving accessibility and enhancing travel time reliability for the public in one of the traffic key corridors of Atlanta, while ensuring safety and minimizing construction impacts to the environment and the local community. The corridor currently presents high levels of congestion, and travel demand is expected to continue to increase, driven by the growth of major employment and residential centers alongside the project. The project also includes the construction of two stations for Atlanta’s Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line, which will ride for free in the Express Lanes.
Design and construction will be carried out by a joint venture between Dragados-Flatiron and Acciona Construction. Operations and maintenance will be self-performed by the project company that will be owned by Meridiam, ACS Infrastructure and Acciona Concessions.

Commentary

Meridiam’s consortium was awarded the project on August 15, 2024(2). Commercial close was reached in November 2024 and financial close is targeted during summer 2025.

Source:

(1)
https://www.census.gov/data/datasets/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-total-metro-and-micro-statistical-areas.html 
(2)
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240815916377/en/Meridiam-led-Consortium-Named-Best-Value-Proposer-by-GDOT-for-the-SR400-Express-Lanes-MMIP-Project?utm_campaign=shareaholic&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=bookmark