Anyone who’s driven Atlanta’s highways knows the potential for gridlock. To address this, the Georgia Department of Transportation is building express lanes, allowing drivers to bypass traffic in the interstate’s general-purpose lanes in favor of tolled lanes.

Malaika Rivers helped develop the first segment of the network, the Northwest Corridor’s $875 million, 29-mile express lane corridor.

Malaika represented the local business over several years as the project advanced from concept to opening, playing a critical role in securing $275 million in federal loans for the state. However, as the effort unfolded, the complexity required additional attention.

Midway through, stakeholders concluded that access for the commercial area’s nearly 100,000 commuters would not be sufficient. Malaika quickly marshaled a coalition of stakeholders to convince state and federal officials to embrace and adopt a change to the project.

Despite incredible political, financial, and technical hurdles, Malaika managed a critical path under tight deadlines. She built a formidable coalition, from business leaders to elected officials, including the state’s governor and U.S. Senator. Throughout, she oversaw tenuous negotiations to secure support and buy-in.

In the end, a new $44 million access ramp was built, with costs borne by multiple stakeholders. Of the total amount, local commercial real estate owners committed $6.3 million, or an average of $150,000 each. The balance, or $37.7 million, was committed by county, state, and federal sources.

The average ROI for each owner came to 292:1. For every $1 committed, owners leveraged another $292 in public funds.