Managed lanes : current status and future opportunities.

729579784Final report; 1/1/07-12/31/08.PDFTech ReportFHWA/CA/OR-Truck lanesManaged lanesTraffic flowAlabamaUniversity Transportation Center for AlabamaUniversity of Alabama at Birmingham. Dept. of Civil, Construction, and Environmental EngineeringNTL-OPERATIONS AND TRAFFIC CONTROLS-Traffic FlowNTL-PLANNING AND POLICY-PLANNING AND POLICYUS Transportation CollectionThe continuous increase in automobile use is directly related to the increase in congestion and decline in airquality in urban settings. In response to this reality, transportation agencies across the nation employ anumber of strategies to reduce traffic demand or spread it over time and space. This can be done by usinglane management strategies that regulate demand, separate traffic streams to reduce turbulence, and utilizeavailable and unused capacity. In recent years, application of such operational policies has evolved into thenotion of \ue2\u20ac\u153managed lanes.\ue2\u20ac? This study examined the potential role of managed lane strategies in addressingtraffic congestion issues in the Birmingham, Alabama, metropolitan area. More specifically, the study firstreviewed the state-of-practice on managed lanes and summarized best practices and lessons learned fromearlier deployment efforts. Then an assessment of potential operational impact from implementation ofHigh Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) and designated truck lanes along I-65 in Birmingham was performed.This was accomplished through detailed traffic simulation modeling using the VISTA mesoscopic tool.Alternatives considered included a) the conversion of an existing lane into an HOV or truck designated laneand b) the addition of a new HOV lane along the study corridor. A detailed sensitivity analysis wasperformed to determine the impact of various percentages of HOV and truck use on traffic operations. Acomprehensive cost-benefit analysis was also performed to determine the most economically efficientalternative among all HOV options considered. The research findings from this study are expected tobenefit both the scientific community and those agencies and authorities responsible for planning,designing, implementing, managing, and operating transportation facilities