Toll money being diverted and used to buy land

ATLANTA - State transportation officials used more than $10 million in Georgia 400 toll collections to buy land in metro Atlanta despite a promise not to use the money for other projects. <br> <br> The State Road and Tollway Authority purchased a seven-acre parcel of land near Atlantic Station in midtown Atlanta with toll revenue. The authority made the purchase after eliminating the ban against using the money for anything other than the highway. <br> <br> The land will be part of the proposed Northwest Transit corridor from midtown to Cobb County. <br> <br> Before and after the transaction, authority Executive Director Jim Croy said the toll money would be used only for maintenance of Georgia 400 and paying off its debt. <br> <br> State Representative Mark Burkhalter of Alpharetta says the purchase ``violates the whole spirit of the collection of tolls.&#39;&#39;