HOT lanes have successfully been implemented on State Route 91 (Orange County) and Interstate 15 (San Diego) in California, Interstate 10 in Texas (Houston), Interstate 25 in Colorado and Interstate 394 in Minnesota (Minneapolis).
Listed below are some other HOT lane Web sites and links to more information on HOT lane concepts: |
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| Other HOT Lane projects in the US |
Carpool Lane to HOT Conversion on Interstate 394 (I-394( in Minneapolis, Minnesota The HOT lanes on I-394 in Minneapolis, Minn. opened in May 2005 and are similar in design and operation to the lanes being constructed on SR 167 in the Puget Sound region. The Minneapolis project appears to be performing well. Ten miles of the I-394 Express Lanes were converted from carpool lanes and feature a striped buffer separation from the adjacent general-purpose lanes. These lanes are toll-free for transit and carpools and available to solo drivers for a toll – the price of the toll depends on traffic volumes in the HOT lanes.
HOV/Tolled Express Lanes on Interstate 25 (I-25) in Denver, Colorado Seven miles of Denver, Colorado’s I-25 carpool lanes were converted to HOT lanes and opened in 2006. The lanes are used by southbound traffic from 5 to 10 a.m., and by northbound traffic from noon all the way through to 3:00 a.m. The HOT lanes are free for transit and carpools and available to solo drivers for a toll. The price of the toll for solo drivers is based on the level of congestion in the HOT lanes.
Express Lanes on State Route 91 in Orange County, California The State Route 91 (SR 91) Express Lanes in Orange County, Calif. opened in December 1995 as a four-lane toll facility in the median of a 10-mile section of one of the most heavily congested highways in the U.S. Toll revenues have been adequate to pay for construction and operating costs. The HOT lanes are separated from the general purpose lanes by a painted buffer and plastic pylons. In January 2003, the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) took over ownership of the 91 Express Lanes. OCTA implemented a new toll policy based on congestion management pricing. Under this policy, hourly traffic volumes on the express lanes are continually monitored. All vehicles must have a "FasTrak" transponder to travel on the express lanes. Vehicles with three or more occupants pay a reduced toll at peak times and are toll-free at off-peak times. In April 2004, the OCTA Board authorized the use of 91 Express Lanes toll revenues to advance the project and fund the next phase of environmental and engineering analysis.
Express Lanes on Interstate 15 (I-15) in San Diego, California San Diego's "FasTrak" pricing program was implemented on eight miles along I-15 in April 1999. Under this program, solo drivers pay a toll each time they use the I-15 express lanes. Tolls vary dynamically with the level of congestion on the carpool lanes. The I-15 lanes are completely automated and no cash transactions are handled on the facility. Fees can vary in 25-cent increments as often as every six minutes to help maintain free-flow traffic conditions on the express lanes.
Houston, Texas: I-10 and US 290 Houston's "QuickRide" pricing program was implemented on 13 miles of existing carpool lanes of I-10 in January 1998 and along 10 miles of HOV lanes on US 290 in November 2000. The carpool lanes are reversible and restricted to vehicles with three or more persons during the peak hours of the peak periods. The pricing program allows a limited number of two-person carpools to buy into the lanes during the peak hours. Participating two-person carpool vehicles pay a $2 per trip toll, while vehicles with higher occupancies continue to travel free. Single-occupant vehicles are not allowed to use the carpool lanes. As in San Diego, the QuickRide project is completely automated and no cash transactions are handled on the facility.
Intellimotion“High Occupancy Vehicle/Toll Lanes: How do they Operate and Where Do They Make Sense?” By the Partners for Advanced Transit and Highways (PATH) – a collaboration of the California Department of Transportation and University of California at Berkeley.
The Reason Public Policy Institute“HOT Network: A new plan for Congestion Relief and Better Transit”
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