Truckers and other drivers traveling around Atlanta could soon be subject to added fees.

The Georgia Department of Transportation is scheduled to meet Thursday, Nov. 10, to draft the latest version of a billion-dollar proposal for private companies to build express toll lanes along Interstates 75 and 575.

For at least two weeks after the meeting, the public can submit written comments on whether the department should move forward on the plan and sign a letter of intent to negotiate the public-private project, which would be Georgia ’s first. The state’s transportation board has planned a Dec. 15 vote on whether to put pen to paper.

At this week’s meeting, the board will discuss the latest version of the proposal, which contains new truck-only toll lanes, bus rapid transit, and high-occupancy toll, or HOT, lanes, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. Existing lanes cannot be turned into pay-to-play lanes.

The meeting is scheduled for11 a.m. EST in Room 401 of the Georgia Department of Transportation building, 2 Capitol Square SW , in downtown Atlanta . It is open to the public.

Comments can be made online or by mail. To submit comments online, visit the Georgia DOT Web site at www.dot.state.ga.us/ppi/index.shtml. Scroll down to the box on the lower right-hand side with the heading “Enter Feedback.” The site also contains information about the project.

Comments also can be mailed to:

Georgia Department of Transportation
Attention: Chief Engineer
# 2 Capitol Square SW , Room 122
Atlanta , GA 30334-1002

The group of private contractors, dubbed Georgia Transportation Partners, proposed the billion-dollar project a year ago. If the transportation department chooses to move forward, the consortium could get started on preliminary work such as designs and environmental studies.

If the state gets cold feet, it could still back out as long as it’s before a final contract is signed, the newspaper reported. However, the state would be responsible for payment on whatever work has been done.