Value Pricing Pilot Program - FY 2004 Awards by State

*For individual project descriptions, see following pages.

Project 1: CA - I-680 SMART Carpool Lanes in Alameda County

Grantee: Alameda County Congestion Management Agency (ACCMA)

Federal Funding: $714,000

• This grant will provide $714,000 in federal value pricing funds for preliminary engineering and environmental clearance to convert the southbound HOV lane that opened in 2002 to a combined HOT facility on a 14-mile segment of I-680 in Alameda County, CA.
• The I-680 corridor connects employees in Southern Alameda County and the Silicon Valley with homes in the Tri-Valley, East Contra Costa County and the San Joaquin Valley. California DOT ranked the corridor as the 3^rd most congested facility in the Bay Area in 2002.
• The project will use innovative design, technology and enforcement elements.
• The Alameda County Congestion Management Agency in collaboration with Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, Caltrans, and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (with funding from the Value Pricing Pilot Program in the amount of $595,250) examined options for the I-680 corridor and concluded that a high occupancy toll lane is operationally feasible.

Project 2: CA Violation Enforcement System on I-15 HOT Lanes in San Diego

Grantee: San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG)

Federal Funding: $699,772

• This grant will provide $699,772 in federal value pricing funds to develop a state-of-the-art Violation Enforcement System (VES) on the existing High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes on an 8-mile segment of I-15 in San Diego, CA, and their proposed extension for an additional 12 miles.
• Enforcing proper use of HOT lanes is more complicated than policing traditional toll facilities, because high-occupancy vehicles are provided free service on HOT lanes.
• The grantee will also produce a report evaluating various available violation enforcement systems, technologies and policies.

Project 3: FL - I-95 Managed Lanes Research and Educational Outreach in Miami-Dade County

Grantee: Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT)

Federal Funding: $208,000

• The Miami-Date I-95 corridor is located in one of the country's 10 most congested metro areas, according to the Urban Mobility Reports of the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI).
• Florida DOT received a Value Pricing Pilot Program grant in the amount of $508,000 to study a proposed conversion of the existing I-95 HOV lanes to some form of HOT/Managed Lanes.
• The efforts funded under this grant will include two additional focus groups, additional surveying for traffic and revenue forecasting in Broward County, and joint agency and educational outreach.
• This project will result in potential implementation of value pricing concepts on I-95 and a HOT network in Miami-Dade County, FL.

Project 4: FL - Express Lanes on I-4 in Orlando, FL

Grantee: Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT)

Federal Funding: $400,000

• This grant will provide $400,000 in federal value pricing funds to conduct public outreach for potential implementation of value pricing concepts on new "Xpress Lanes" on a 15.4-mile segment of I-4 in Orlando, FL.
• Florida DOT's vision is to expand the Xpress Lanes concept throughout the entire Central Florida region.

Project 5: GA - Pricing Atlanta's Interstate System

Grantee: Georgia Institute of Technology

Federal Funding: $1,180,863

• This proposal will ultimately lead to potential implementation of value pricing concepts on the Interstate System in Atlanta, GA and produce innovative off-the-shelf vehicle-based technology for pricing applications nationally.
• The project will provide extensive data for the first time on how commuters respond to various types of pricing policies. This will allow evaluation of the impacts of pricing policies on travel behavior, and will provide data from real-world experience to improve the ability of regional travel demand models to estimate the impacts of various types of pricing alternatives.
• The project is a continuation of an existing project that has received $1,205,465 in Value Pricing Pilot Program funds to date. This request is consistent with the anticipated funding request over the life of the project.

Project 6: GA - Value Pricing on the I-75 HOV/BRT Project

Grantee: Georgia State Road and Tollway Authority

Federal Funding: $400,000

• This study will examine the I-75 travel corridor in Atlanta to determine if value pricing in combination with Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) can improve the existing high levels of congestion.
• The I-75 facility is ranked among Atlanta's six most congested corridors.
• The proposal includes public outreach and a traffic and revenue analysis for the corridor.
• The project will determine feasibility of implementation of value pricing concepts and Bus Rapid Transit on the I-75 corridor.

Project 7: MN - I-394 Pricing - Planning, Outreach and Education in the Twin Cities

Grantee: Minnesota Department of Transportation (Mn/DOT) and Metropolitan Council

Federal Funding: $925,000

• MnDOT is currently converting HOV lanes to HOT lanes (called "MnPass Lanes") on I-394. The project is anticipated to open in early 2005.
• The project will fully integrate the I-394 MnPass Lanes with Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) in the Twin Cities. The project will evaluate operational issues at interchanges and connecting ramps and conduct public involvement outreach activities.
• This project will increase the potential for implementation of a network of HOT lanes ("MnPass system"), and increase public awareness of the benefits of pricing through public involvement in transportation decision-making.

Project 8: NJ - Express/HOT Lane in the Lincoln Tunnel between New York and New Jersey

Grantee: Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (PANYNJ)

Federal Funding: $416,000

• The PANYNJ implemented variable pricing on the major water crossings between New York and New Jersey in 2001.
• The Value Pricing Pilot Program is currently funding an evaluation study to analyze the impacts of the variable pricing structure, and a study of the potential of a second Exclusive Bus Lane on NJ Route 495 leading to the Lincoln Tunnel and Midtown Manhattan.
• The proposed study will determine whether value pricing might be used to allow commercial vehicles to use the excess capacity on the second Exclusive Bus Lane, and to model behavioral changes produced by applying various pricing incentives.
• This study will potentially lead to implementation of value pricing concepts on the Lincoln Tunnel Exclusive Bus Lanes between New Jersey and New York.

Project 9: OR - Mileage-Based Road User Fee

Grantee: Oregon State Department of Transportation (ODOT)

Federal Funding: $943,949

• This project involves continuation of an existing Value Pricing Pilot Program project that has received $1, 220,000 in Federal funds to date. The project is studying the feasibility of replacing the existing fuel tax with a vehicle mileage-based fee; application of value pricing to the concept; and demonstration of the concept in a pilot test.
• The additional funds provided will pay for a significant increase in the cost of technology development.
• The project will improve the technology; allow the use of a "polygon" concept for purposes of defining state borders and congestion pricing zones instead of a mere rectangle shaped boundary; provide drivers in the pilot with real-time peak period traffic information; and create a potentially complete "off-the-shelf" system that may be used by value pricing projects nationally.
• This project will ultimately lead to the potential implementation of a vehicle mileage-based fee to replace existing fuel based fees. "Off-the-shelf" technology will be available for implementation for value pricing in Oregon and nationally.

Project 10: TX - I-30 Managed Lane Facility Operational Plan in Dallas, TX

Grantee: North Central Texas Council of Governments

Federal Funding: $472,416

• This study is expected to lead to implementation of value pricing concepts on I-30 in Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX.
• The I-30 (Tom Landry) Freeway is currently undergoing a staged reconstruction process. Currently the staged construction plan calls for five mixed lanes of traffic in each direction, with a single reversible HOV lane.
• This effort will evaluate value pricing concepts in the corridor.

Project 11: TX - Houston HOT Lane Network

Grantee: Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT)

Project: Houston HOT Lane Network Detailed Plan

Recommended Federal Funding: $460,000

• Plans are being developed to optimize the entire network of HOV lanes on Houston using value pricing, to provide the maximum benefits for Houston travelers through reduced congestion and delays.
• The project will examine Houston's six HOV lane facilities with a goal of developing a detailed implementation plan for a HOT lane network. This will include a plan to expand current HOT activities on Katy and Northwest Freeways and add tolling to the other four HOV lanes to develop an integrated network of HOT lanes.
• This project will potentially lead to implementation of a HOT network in Houston, TX.

Project 12: WA - SR 167 HOT Lanes in the Puget Sound Region

Grantee: Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT)

Federal Funding: $1,180,000

• The Puget Sound Regional Council of Washington State estimates that by 2030, 45% of the core freeway system in the Seattle metropolitan area will be congested. The project would convert the existing HOV lanes on SR 167 within King County/Seattle, Washington to HOT lanes, from I-405 in Renton to Southwest 15^th Street in Auburn without expansion of the existing freeway.
• This study will evaluate the ability of the HOT lane concept to control congestion and generate revenue; assess the socio-economic impacts; and assess the level of public interest
• This effort will potentially lead to implementation of value pricing concepts on SR 167 in the Puget Sound Region.