This 2004 Value Pricing Feasibility Study was conducted in close consultation with Caltrans, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, and the California Highway Patrol and assessed the potential for high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes for light duty commercial vehicles on Interstate 880 (I-880) in northern California. The three principal purposes discussed for permitting small commercial vehicles to buy into the I-880 high occupancy vehicle lanes addressed system capacity management, goods movement route efficiency and increased flexibility and choices. The objectives of the study were to:
As an addendum to the California Express Lanes on State Route 91 Study, this 2000 report sponsored by Caltrans and the United States Department of Transportation (US DOT) identified impacts of the value-priced express lanes located in the median of State Route 91 in Orange County, California. This continuation study documents more than five years of field observations, including about a year and a half of observations to establish baseline conditions before the facility opened on December 27, 1995. The report outlines trends in traffic, driving conditions, transit, investigation of corridor travel behavior, and public opinion through the collection of the following data: traffic measurements, vehicle occupancy counts, transit ridership data, and comprehensive travel surveys with current and former commuters. As the first practical application of value pricing in the U.S. , this case study provides many important technical and institutional insights for implementing value-pricing projects in other locations.
This 2005 feasibility study, conducted by the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), evaluated the financial and operational feasibility of adding tolled express lanes to C-470, the 26-mile beltway around Southwest Denver. Population and employment growth in the south Denver Metro area have contributed to increased traffic on C-470 and CDOT was awarded a Value Pricing Pilot Program (VPPP) grant from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to study the potential development of managed lanes on C-470 from I-70 to I-25 as a way to alleviate congestion on the corridor. The process discussed in this study includes development and calibration of regional travel demand and micro-simulation models, a sequential screening process to eliminate unsatisfactory alternatives and identify those that are viable, and recommendations for appropriate implementation steps.
The proposed I-95 Managed Lanes Study was conducted in two phases in 2005 and 2006 for the Florida Department of Transportation. The I-95 corridor between downtown Miami and I-595 near Fort Lauderdale is one of the most heavily traveled portions of urban interstate highway in America. Weekday traffic volumes between the Golden Glades Interchange and Stat Route 112 reach as high as 300,000 vehicles per day, resulting in high levels of congestion in the morning and afternoon peak hours. As part of the comprehensive study, a detailed operations profile was developed, which included quantification of average travel speeds and bottleneck areas. Extensive surveys were conducted and several focus groups were organized to gauge citizen reaction to the proposed managed lane concept. In addition, a detailed economic review was completed and three levels of models were used to analyze future demand in the corridor for the six different project alternatives.
Best practices and lessons learned from the I-95 Express Project were assembled for the Florida Department of Transportation. The lessons and best practices summarized in this report were obtained primarily through interviews and focus on the processes prior to toll implementation and operation. The memorandum outlines key elements to the project's success and attempts to summarize comments made by over 30 participants from various agencies within the Miami-Area Urban Partnership, FHWA, FDOT, Florida's Turnpike Enterprise, Broward County Transit, Miami-Dade County Transit, in addition to project and construction personnel.
For this November 2005 report, a survey instrument was designed to identify travel behavior and public perception of managed lanes for Interstate 75 in Georgia with input from the Georgia State Road and Tollway Authority, and the Georgia Department of Transportation. The Interstate 75 Stated Preference Survey includes details on methods, stated preference analysis and a summary of survey data for the 1,500 valid interviews conducted between the summer and fall of 2005.
Following a Phase I analysis of multi-modal alternatives in 2004, a Phase II Report was developed in 2005 for Highway 217, the major north-south transportation route in Washington County. This study was a cooperative effort by Metro, Washington County, the Oregon Department of Transportation, TriMet, and the cities of Beaverton, Lake Oswego and Tigard. With peak corridor travel expected to increase an additional 30 percent over the next 20 years, the main focus of this study was to develop and implement transportation improvements in the next 20 years that provide for efficient movement of people and goods through and within the corridor, while supporting economically dynamic and attractive regional and town centers and retaining the livability of nearby communities. Options for further consideration under this Phase II study included six lanes, six lanes with express toll lanes, and six lanes with tolled ramp meter bypass.
