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FHWA > Policy > Office of Transportation Policy Studies
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Value Pricing Pilot ProgramBACKGROUND:Section 1604(a) of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) amends Section 1216(a) of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) (Public Law No. 105-178, 112 Stat. 107 (1998)) which authorized the Secretary of Transportation (the Secretary) to create a Value Pricing Pilot Program by entering into cooperative agreements with up to fifteen State or local governments or other public authorities, to establish, maintain, and monitor local value pricing pilot programs. The Value Pricing Pilot Program replaced the Congestion Pricing Pilot Program that was authorized by the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991. TEA-21 amended ISTEA Pub L. 102-240, 105 Stat. 1914, by providing that any value pricing project included under these local programs may involve the use of tolls on the Interstate system. This is an exception to the general provisions concerning tolls on the Interstate system as contained in 23 U.S.C. 129 and 301. Section 1216 (a)(5) of TEA-21 amends section 1012(b) of ISTEA by adding subsection (6) which provides that a State may permit vehicles with fewer than two occupants to operate in high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes if the vehicles are part of a local value pricing pilot program under this section. This is an exception to the general provision contained in 23 U.S.C. 102, that no fewer than two occupants per vehicle be allowed on HOV lanes. The Secretary is to report to Congress every two years on the effects of local value pricing pilot programs. The Congress has mandated this program as an experimental
program aimed at learning the potential of different value pricing approaches
for reducing congestion. Value pricing, also known as congestion pricing
or peak-period pricing, entails fees or tolls for road use which vary
by level of vehicle demand on the facility. Fees are typically assessed
electronically to eliminate delays associated with manual toll collection
facilities. This concept of assessing relatively higher prices for travel
during peak periods is the same as that used in many other sectors of
the economy to respond to peak-use demands. Airlines offer off-peak
discounts and hotel rooms cost more during peak tourist seasons. Road-use
charges that vary with the level of vehicle demand provide incentives
to shift some trips to off-peak times, less-congested routes, or alternative
modes, or to cause some lower-valued trips to be combined with other
trips, or eliminated. A shift in a relatively small proportion of peak-period
trips can lead to substantial reductions in overall congestion. And,
while variable charges create incentives for more efficient use of existing
capacity, they also provide improved indicators of the potential need
for future capacity expansion and generate revenues that can be used
to further enhance urban mobility. STATUTORY REFERENCES:23 U.S.C. 129 & 301; ISTEA Pub.L. 102-240, 105 Stat 1914, Section 1012 (b) TEA-21 Section 1216(a)(4&5), SAFETEA-LU Pub. L. 109-59; 119 Stat. 1144 FUNDING:
SAFETEA-LU provided a total of $59 million for Fiscal Years 2005-2009 for the Value Pricing Pilot Program. $11million was authorized for FY 2005 and $12 million was authorized for each of fiscal years 2005 through 2009. Of the amounts made available to carry out the program, $3,000,000 will be set-aside in each of the fiscal years 2006 through 2009 for value pricing projects that do not involve highway tolls. Funds allocated by the Secretary under this section shall remain available for obligation for a period of three years after the last day of the fiscal year for which funds are authorized. If, on September 30 of any year, the amount of funds made available for the Pilot Program, but not allocated, exceeds $8 million, the excess amount will be apportioned to all States for purposes of the Surface Transportation Program. Funds available for the Pilot Program can be used to support pre-project study activities and to pay for implementation costs of value pricing projects. PUBLICATIONSTOOLS FOR ANALYSIS PRICING PROJECTS IN THE UNITED STATES Project Grant Awards
Pilot Project Descriptions
PRICING PROJECTS WORLDWIDETRB International Symposium on Road Pricing
For additional information about the Value Pricing Pilot Program, you can go to the Value Pricing website located on the Highway Community Exchange: http://knowledge.fhwa.dot.gov/cops/hcx.nsf/home?openform&Group=Value%20Pricing&tab=REFERENCEBYALPHA LIST OF PROJECTS BY TYPEA. Pricing on Existing RoadsA-1. Conversion of HOV to HOT Lanes Projects under Study: A-2. Cordon Tolls A-3. FAIR Lanes B. Pricing on New LanesOperational Projects: Projects under Study: C. Pricing on Toll Roads Operational Projects: Projects under Study: D. Pricing of Parking and Vehicle Use D-1. Usage-Based Vehicle ChargesOperational Projects: Projects Under Study: D-2. "Cash-Out" Strategies E. Region-wide StudiesMaryland - Feasibility of value pricing Statewide Value pricing encompasses a variety of strategies to manage congestion on highways, including both tolling of highway facilities as well as other strategies not involving tolls. There are five types of pricing projects implemented or under consideration in the U.S., including four types of pricing strategies (identified as A through D below) and one type of project (identified as E below) that can cover all four types of pricing strategies: A. New tolls on existing toll-free facilities (usually electronically-collected), including:
B. Tolls on lanes added to existing highways (usually electronically-collected), including:
C. Variable tolls (usually electronically-collected) on existing and new toll roads, bridges, and tunnels that are collected via an electronic transponder; D. Pricing strategies that do not involve tolls, including:
E. Region-wide pricing initiatives within metropolitan areas
attempt to identify candidates for implementation of pilot pricing projects.
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