ATLANTA, Ga. — Georgia’s State Transportation Board on Thursday chose Top End Mobility Group to build the first leg of new highway toll lanes across the top end of I-285, where rush hour congestion on the Perimeter can drag on for much of the day.
Under the deal, the private group would pay for the work up front and then design, build, finance, operate and maintain the lanes for 50 years, recovering its money from toll revenue instead of public dollars, the Georgia Department of Transportation said.
The group also offered the state a $23.6 billion concession fee, paid out in yearly installments after financial close. The agency said that money applies only to Phase 1 and must be spent on I-285 or projects that support it. The group would also repay Georgia roughly $515 million the state has already spent on the project.
Phase 1 carries an expected design and construction cost of $8.9 billion. It adds two barrier-separated express lanes on the westbound outer loop between Henderson Road and Northside Drive, tying into the express lanes on SR 400 and I-85.
Top End Mobility Group is led by the global infrastructure company Ferrovial and includes Tikehau Star Infra. Ferrovial said this is its first managed lanes project in Georgia and pointed to express lanes it has delivered and run around Dallas-Fort Worth, Charlotte and Washington, D.C. The state picked the team over two other shortlisted bidders.
Why it matters for drivers: the agency says I-285 moves about 250,000 vehicles a day and sits in congestion for an average of eight hours daily, with traffic expected to climb 25% over the next 15 years. The new lanes are optional, rates float with congestion, and the existing free lanes stay in place.
The tradeoff is time. Contracts are expected to be signed in December 2026, construction is slated to start in late 2027, and Phase 1 is targeted for substantial completion in 2034, which means years of work zones on one of the most crowded roads in the state. The full build-out is planned for 2041.
Longer term, the corridor would also open a lane path for bus rapid transit along the Perimeter, part of a growing regional network of priced lanes that the State Road and Tollway Authority helps manage.
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