Managed Lanes: Current Status and Future Opportunities

摘要

The continuous increase in automobile use is directly related to the increase in congestion and decline in air quality in urban settings. In the past 20 years, the total number of Vehicle Miles Traveled in the United States has increased over 70%, whereas highway capacity grew by only 0.3%. Increased construction costs, right-of-way constraints, and environmental and social issues shifted the interest of transportation agencies from building new roadways to strategies that maximize the operational efficiency of existing facilities. Transportation agencies across the nation employed a number of strategies to reduce traffic demand or spread it over time and space. This can be done by using lane management strategies that regulate demand, separating traffic streams to reduce turbulence, and utilizing available and unused capacity. In recent years, application of such operational policies is evolving into the notion of managed lanes. This study examined the potential role of managed lane strategies in addressing traffic congestion issues in the Birmingham, Alabama, metropolitan area. High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes and truck-only lanes are among the strategies being considered. More specifically, the study first reviewed the state of practice and summarized best practices and lessons learned from earlier deployment efforts.