Meridiam-led Consortium Named Best Value Proposer by GDOT for the SR400 Express Lanes MMIP Project

August 15, 2024 at 20:47 PM EDT

Meridiam, a leading infrastructure investment firm, together with ACCIONA and ACS Infrastructure—the SR400 Peach Partners consortium (the “Consortium”)— today announced its selection as Best Value Proposer for the SR400 Express Lanes MMIP Project (the “Project”) by the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT).

The Project is a 16-mile-long corridor in the north of Atlanta, which is anticipated to be upgraded and expanded to include additional dynamically-tolled free-flow express lanes in each direction, under an approximately 55-year design, construction, finance, operation and maintenance (“DBFOM”) contract with State Road and Tollway Authority. The Project’s design and construction will be carried out by a joint venture between Dragados and Acciona Construction, while the Consortium will set up a dedicated project company to self-perform operation and maintenance. The Project will be the first privately managed express lane project in Georgia¹.

The Project is focused on improving public accessibility and fostering local economic growth. The Consortium developed a design and an operational plan that will enhance the overall user experience by providing a faster, safer and more reliable travel option to the daily commuters in Fulton and Forsyth counties. Construction has been carefully planned to minimize disruptions by coordinating work during off-peak hours and utilizing phased construction methods. This approach will help ensure that the majority of traffic lanes remain open throughout the process. By incorporating a state-of-the-art traffic management solution and optimizing connectivity, the express lanes are designed to streamline traffic flow and alleviate congestion during peak hours.

“Our team is proud to have been selected as long-term partners to GDOT, the State Road and Tollway Authority (SRTA) and key project stakeholders in this transformative project. We are fully committed to bringing reliable, safe travel and improved mobility to the Atlanta community and broader region for generations to come and will deploy the operational expertise and on-time, on budget delivery reflected in our longstanding US track record in doing so,” said Nicolas Rubio, CEO of Meridiam Americas.

Meridiam is a leading investor in the transportation sector, having developed more than 1,500 miles of roads across 30 projects representing a total contracted value of $28 billion. Meridiam is a leader in managed lanes in North America with 5 assets in the portfolio (the Project will be the 6^th express lane project developed by Meridiam) and manages investments in several roadway projects in the US, including:

The North Tarrant Expressway project improved mobility along the highly congested IH820 and SH121/183 highways through the expansion of the existing general-purpose lanes and the construction of 13.3 miles of managed lanes and direct connections at major interchanges in Tarrant County, Texas.
The I-66 Express Lanes Outside the Beltway project, a 22.5-mile managed lanes concession on I-66 in northern Virginia outside the Capital Beltway around Washington, DC.
The Central 70 Highway in Denver Colorado, a DBFOM project that updated a 10-mile stretch of the interstate highway to reduce congestion, improve safety and better accommodate future growth along this vital transportation corridor.
The Presidio Parkway Project, which replaced approximately 1.6 miles of the existing South access road to the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California.

About Meridiam

Founded in 2005, Meridiam provides solutions to public infrastructure challenges through the long-term development, financing and management of sustainable projects. Meridiam has over $23bn under management across 125 assets focused on transportation infrastructure, critical public services and energy transition in the Americas, Europe and Africa. Ranked #1 US Transportation P3 Developer by Public Works Financing², Meridiam is ISO 9001 and ISO 37001 certified and is a Certified B Corporation™.

¹ https://www.dot.ga.gov/GDOT/Pages/P3.aspx

² Public Works Financing, July 2024, U.S Transportation P3 Developers