Express Lanes Will Run from SR 155 to SR 138
Emergency responders are planning for how to provide response to car accidents and vehicle breakdowns inside new toll lanes in Henry County, according to The Henry Herald. The lanes are part of I-75. The lanes will be reversible, and a concrete barrier will separate the express toll lanes from the regular travel lanes. The lanes will change direction based on the time of day and the predominant direction of travel. Fox 5 Atlanta reports that the 12 miles of express lanes will run between State Route 155 to State Route 138. Anyone with a Peach Pass will have access to the lanes.
Police and Fire Departments Plan Response to Toll Lane Accidents
Emergency first responders in Henry County are making plans for what to do in the event of a breakdown or accident inside the concrete barriers that separate the reversible express toll lanes from regular traffic. The lanes will have full shoulders within the concrete barriers to allow drivers who are experiencing a vehicle breakdown to pull off the road and allow traffic to pass by. Signs throughout the express toll lanes will display the contact information for the towing service that will service the tollway so that any driver experiencing a breakdown will be able to request a tow immediately. A tow truck will need to remove any vehicle that has broken down in one of the express toll lanes before the toll lane operators reverse the direction of traffic. Otherwise, it will be difficult to tow any broken down vehicles against the direction of express lane traffic.
Toll Roads Can Be Deadly
Officials are building the express lanes to ease traffic on the state highways in Henry County. Express lanes should make travel faster, but they can also lead to increased accidents. As a report by The Miami Herald confirms, the I-95 express lanes in southern Florida led to an increase in deadly car accidents. Some drivers complained that those express lanes lacked proper divisions from regular travel lanes.
This can be dangerous because the direction of traffic in an express lane changes at certain times of the day, so drivers who cross over into the express lane may be driving in the opposite direction of high-speed express lane traffic. Even though the I-75 toll roads will have concrete separators to prevent the drivers in the normal travel lanes from passing over into the express toll lanes, it is still possible that drivers will face oncoming traffic if they break down on the shoulder before the operators reverse the direction of travel.
Highway Agency Could Be Liable for Accidents
Drivers have a responsibility to exercise reasonable care while driving on the freeway to prevent injuries to other drivers or pedestrians. This includes following all the rules of the road, even special rules for using toll roads or other specialized roads. If a driver violates the rules that govern special lanes and passes into oncoming traffic, they will be liable for negligence in a lawsuit. If the state agency that is planning and building the lanes fails to follow standard engineering practices in constructing the lanes, and their failure to build in safeguards against potential dangers leads to an accident, the state agency may also be liable for damages.
Get Legal Help
If you or someone you know has been involved in a car accident, then you need legal help fast. Get in contact with a car accident attorney at Williams Elleby Howard & Easter in Cobb County today and get the compensation you deserve.
