The Georgia House voted to allow state transportation officials to create high-occupancy toll lanes, the Gwinnett Daily Post reported.

Bill supporters say HOT lanes are far from reality in Georgia but should be seriously considered.

The lanes are thought to smooth traffic by charging fluctuating rates depending on congestion levels.

The House passed the measure – SB489 – by a 160-0 vote March 25, sending it back to the Senate to consider changes. It will likely then head to Gov. Sonny Perdue for final approval.

Bert Brantley, spokesman for the Georgia Department of Transportation, told the newspaper the bill’s passage doesn’t mean HOT lanes are imminent for the state’s largest metropolitan areas. But the Atlanta region is getting 265 more miles of HOV (high-occupancy vehicle) lanes over the next 25 years, he said, and traffic planners would like to consider HOT lanes.

“We’re trying to have all the tools that are out there at our disposal,” Brantley said. “That’s the point, to make it so that if it is a thing we want to do down the road, we can.”