Deputies clock driver at 104 mph in Georgia 400 construction zone

A Memorial Day speed check on Georgia 400 turned into a stark warning for Forsyth County drivers: deputies said they clocked a motorist at 104 mph in a 55-mph construction zone, nearly 50 mph over the posted limit, on one of the county’s busiest commuter corridors.

The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office said no road crews were working in that stretch at the time because of the holiday. Even without workers present, deputies treated the speed as a serious public-safety threat in a zone where drivers are supposed to slow down for changing traffic patterns, narrowed lanes and construction equipment. The driver was taken to jail.

The stop came as Georgia 400 remains at the center of major road work in Forsyth County. The Georgia Department of Transportation says heavy construction on the SR 400 Express Lanes project is expected to begin in April 2026, including portions in Forsyth County. The project covers about 16 miles from the North Springs MARTA Station to McFarland Parkway and will add two tolled express lanes in each direction from North Springs to McGinnis Ferry Road, then one tolled express lane in each direction from McGinnis Ferry Road to McFarland Parkway.

That work is already reshaping daily travel. Forsyth County notices have warned drivers to expect lane closures, flagging and delays tied to SR 400-related construction, including on McGinnis Ferry Road. Georgia law defines a highway work zone broadly to include roadway construction, reconstruction, maintenance and adjacent features, and state materials say fines are doubled in work zones, with penalties reaching as much as $2,000 per offense.

The county has also made clear that aggressive driving remains on the radar. Forsyth County maintains a H.E.A.T. unit focused on dangerous driving enforcement, and a separate high-speed stop in 2025 involved a driver clocked at 146 mph. Together, those cases show why deputies are treating extreme speeding on Georgia 400 as more than a routine citation.

On a corridor where growth, construction and commuter pressure already collide, 104 mph in a 55-mph work zone is the kind of speed that can turn a traffic stop into a tragedy in seconds.