Transportation Planning Capacity Building Program

– Peer Roundtable Report –

Value Pricing: Managed Lanes on Interstate 15 in San Diego County

I. Summary

The following report summarizes the results of a Peer Exchange held through the Transportation Planning Capacity Building (TPCB) Program, which is jointly sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and Federal Transit Administration (FTA). The San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) hosted the exchange on January 30-31, 2006 at the request of the Georgia State Road and Tollway Authority (SRTA) in conjunction with the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT), the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC), and the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority (GRTA). The objective of the Peer Exchange was for the participants from Georgia to learn about SANDAG's experience creating and operating managed lanes on Interstate 15 (I-15). The first day was spent at the SANDAG offices exchanging information on managed lanes and the second day was spent touring the I-15 managed lane facilities.

The report is structured with the following primary sections: II. Background; III. Participant Presentation and Discussions; and IV. Lessons Learned and Recommendations. Section II provides details about why the peer exchange was held. Section III details each of the presentations on the first day and the field trip on the second day. Section IV summarizes the lessons learned and recommendations from the peer exchange. Finally, Section V provides the key contacts and Section VI comprises a participants list and the peer exchange agenda.

Throughout this report, there will be several terms used to describe the various types of highway lanes and road pricing structures. High occupancy toll (HOT) lanes are lanes that are open to high occupancy vehicles (HOV) without charge and single occupancy (SOV) vehicles for a toll. HOV lanes are open only to HOVs and do not generally charge any toll. "Managed lanes" refers to a system of lanes that uses various methods to control the supply and demand of road space. This may include HOV and HOT lanes as well as variable toll structures and moveable barrier technology. Tolling can be fixed or variable and variable tolls often fluctuate based on congestion (called congestion pricing). Moveable barrier technology allows highway operators to move a barrier to change the number of lanes offered in each direction and meet variable demand. This report focuses on the I-15 managed lanes that are a HOT lanes structure with variable congestion pricing. In other words, the road is open to HOVs and SOVs but SOVs are charged a toll. The toll varies based on the level of congestion on the road. Higher congestion levels result in higher tolls.

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II. Background

The Georgia participants proposed this peer exchange to help the Atlanta region develop political and technical champions for introducing road pricing concepts and techniques into the regional transportation decision-making process. Since no HOT lanes system exists in Georgia, the Georgia participants proposed viewing the functioning and successful HOT lane system in San Diego. There are two key areas in which the Georgia participants expressed interest. One is the political feasibility of managed lanes and particularly HOT lanes and the other area includes the technical issues of planning, designing, constructing, financing and operating a managed lane system.

By meeting with SANDAG officials, Atlanta regional planners acquired essential information and knowledge to promote a managed lane system in Atlanta. Atlanta is planning to convert planned HOV lanes into HOT lanes. This is the same process that San Diego used to build their managed lanes system. The experience of SANDAG and the similarity between managed lanes in San Diego and Atlanta's proposed managed lanes made meeting with SANDAG very useful in the education of government officials and technical staff in the Atlanta region. The goal of this exchange was to give Atlanta's transportation leaders the knowledge to bring the concept of HOT lanes into the mainstream of highway planning for the region.

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III. Participant Presentations and Discussions

The first day of the peer exchange was spent at the SANDAG offices. SANDAG officials and planners gave presentations in the morning and afternoon that focused on general transportation issues in San Diego as well as the specifics of the I-15 managed lanes system. During a working lunch, the Georgia participants gave short background presentations on various transportation issues in metropolitan Atlanta. A summary of the San Diego presentations is provided first followed by the Georgia working lunch presentations.

A. Presentations by San Diego Representatives

1. Welcoming Remarks by Mickey Cafagna, chairman of the SANDAG Board of Directors, Ray Traynor, principal planner for SANDAG, and Pedro Orso Delgado, Caltrans District 11 Director
   
   The SANDAG board has 19 member jurisdictions — the 18 cities in San Diego County plus the county itself. However, there are 20 individual voting members of the Board as the City of San Diego has two votes because of its large population. San Diego County has one seat on the board but comprises 16% of the population in the unincorporated areas. Because of this, the County is currently trying to negotiate a second seat. Resolutions require both a majority vote of the board members and that the vote represents at least 51% of the region's population. SANDAG has two public board meetings per month.
   
   SANDAG's region covers 4,239 square miles, but most people live in the western third of the county. Water is the greatest growth barrier as the region receives only 10 inches of rain per year. The San Diego region has a high annual growth rate and expects that the region will grow by one million residents by 2030. However, forecasts do predict a decrease in the annual growth rate. By 2015, there will be no ethnic majority in the region and the population will be ageing.
   
   SANDAG coordinates with Mexico on issues related to traffic and goods moving across the border. Tijuana is fastest growing city in Mexico and the General Consul of Mexico is on and ex-officio member of the SANDAG Board. Other advisory members of the board include Caltrans, the regional transit authorities, and the U.S. Department of Defense.
   
   SANDAG primarily deals with transportation issues but has expanded its powers and now handles some housing issues. SANDAG does not have any control over local agencies, but uses funding incentives to encourage good land use planning in localities. SANDAG has six focus areas: Urban Form; Healthy Environment; Housing; Public Facilities; Economic Prosperity; and Borders. One of the agency's priorities is planning to meet future housing needs through smart growth strategies.
   
   Financially, SANDAG is supported mostly by a half-cent sales tax called TRANSNET that passed by just a few votes over the required two-thirds majority. Federal, state and local governments also provide funding for SANDAG. SANDAG's long range transportation plan, "Mobility 2030," presents three financial thresholds: the constrained plan calls for $30 Billion of projects; the unconstrained plan calls for $67 Billion of projects; and finally, before the half cent sales tax was passed, $42 Billion of projects was considered reasonable with the tax.
   
   Because of the high cost of living in the San Diego metropolitan area, unplanned growth has occurred in Riverside County. This has led to increased traffic on Interstate 15 as residents take the freeway down to San Diego for jobs and services. Many of San Diego's new jobs are low-wage.
   
   Discussion
   After Mr. Cafagna and Mr. Traynor spoke, there was an informal discussion between peer exchange attendees. Questions were asked by both California and Georgia participants and included the following subjects:
   • The weighted board voting system is designed so that neither small nor large jurisdictions can take advantage of the others.
   • The total sales tax in San Diego is 7.75 cents per dollar and 0.5 cents of that is allocated to SANDAG through the TRANSNET tax.
   • ARC and GRTA have an evolving and improving relationship. ARC just sponsored a transit initiative and decided to create a transit planning board. The board would be housed at GRTA, but ARC would comprise the majority of the board members. The most recent executive director of GRTA has been able to forge a good relationship with ARC, and in particular a friendship between the leaders of the two organizations. Additionally, there is a good relationship between all four of the Georgia transportation agencies: SRTA, GDOT, ARC and GRTA.
   • While SANDAG does not have regulatory authority for land-use planning and decision-making, SANDAG has a plan for all cities to cooperate on smart growth strategies. It is not mandatory for cities comply with the plan, however they become ineligible for some SANDAG smart growth funds if they do not comply. Cities can apply for funding based on how cooperative they are with the plan. A higher level of cooperation leads to a higher level of available funds.
   Caltrans Perspective
   Pedro Orso Delgado, Caltrans District 11 Director, welcomed participants and gave an overview of transportation issues in the San Diego region form the state perspective. Mr. Delgado has responsibility for San Diego and Imperial Counties. Imperial County is very low density is highly agricultural. San Diego County is showing high growth in population, jobs and vehicle miles traveled (VMT). According to state legislation, 75% of state transportation funds are divided among the regions. The remaining 25% is spent by the state on inter-regional projects. Many counties have determined that dedicated revenue such as a sales tax is beneficial given the uncertainty of the state and federal transportation dollars. TRANSNET revenues will fund 50% of projects in the San Diego Region.
   
   The San Diego region is concerned with international border issues in large part because the second largest truck crossing in the U.S. is located in the region. There is a large electronics industry on both sides on the U.S-Mexico border. On the U.S. side is management and research, while manufacturing takes place on the Mexican side.
   
   Caltrans has a $220 billion Strategic Growth Plan, of which $110 billion is for transportation. The plan would provide $620 million for San Diego in the coming years. The Governor is proposing $6 billion in transportation bonds to support the various projects. Part of the plan includes experimenting with allowing buses on shoulders in congested periods (defined by speeds under 35 mph on the freeway). The Strategic Growth Plan also includes extending the I-15 managed lanes and adding a BRT system to them.
   
   Discussion
   Participants and Mr. Delgado had a question and answer session that focused on the following issues:
   • Private developers perform traffic studies to determine how their development will affect the traffic patterns. Developers will then contribute to improving infrastructure based on their projects.
   • Ramp meters for freeways can provide 10-15% more throughput. However, when there is too much congestion or very little traffic, the meter turns itself off.
   • Caltrans is close to implementing a driver information hotline similar to the 511 line that some regions have.
   • Caltrans does not have a state level policy for managed lanes. SANDAG has a regional vision that includes making transit more accessible and making transit travel time more competitive.
   • Caltrans focuses on how to best move people, not on a specific mode.
2. Presentation: Mobility 2030 (Mike Hix, SANDAG)
   
   Mike Hix presented SANDAG's long-range transportation plan called Mobility 2030, which was adopted in March of 2003. The San Diego region is expecting approximately 1 million new residents and a half million new jobs by 2030. To better accommodate the projected growth, the plan calls for a stronger link between land use and transportation in the future. The vision is focused on moving people and goods, not vehicles.
   
   The plan has four components: land use; systems development; systems management; and demand management. Land use is focused on smart growth. Systems development comprises transit and highway expansion; of which managed lanes is a large component. Systems management includes using managed lanes and ramp metering. An example of demand management would be targeting the availability of bikes and cars at the end of a transit ride. The 2030 plan examined ways to expand the 30-minute transit accessible boundaries. SANDAG is currently completing a 2006 update to the 2030 plan based on federal requirements. There will also be a 2007 comprehensive update that will include:
   • Updated 2030 land use forecasts
   • Mapping smart growth opportunity areas
   • Revised transit network based on an independent transit planning review
   • A regional freight strategy
   • Reevaluating all of the project ranking criteria and strengthening smart growth incentives into ranking criteria
   Discussion
   Following are the highlights of the discussion following Mr. Hix's presentation.
   • SANDAG funds a regional freeway service patrol for traffic incident management. SANDAG is also funding a grant to look at how incident management functions within managed lanes facilities. Currently, California Highway Patrol (CHP) controls all incidents and SANDAG has a contract with a local towing company. There have not been any time incentives built into the contract because the speed with which incidents are cleared has not been a problem.
   • Currently, congestion relief and time cost benefits are weighted heavily in transportation project rankings. However, congestion relief is will likely be downgraded with smart growth and land use becoming more important.
   • Managed lanes are all newly built lanes except when existing HOV lanes can be converted. General-purpose lanes are not converted to managed lanes.
   • Congestion reduction is the primary purpose of managed lanes in San Diego, not revenue generation.
3. Presentation: TRANSNET (Craig Scott, SANDAG)
   
   Craig Scott presented an overview of the TRANSNET half-cent transportation sales tax in the San Diego region. The tax revenue is divided between roads and transit with approximately 1/3 allocated to transit, 1/3 allocated to state highways, and 1/3 allocated to local roads. TRANSNET initially funded $3.3 billion worth of projects from 1988 through 2008. However, it was required that voters approve an extension past 2008 by a two-thirds majority. SANDAG formed a working group to research voter opinions and looked at how to package the TRANSNET extension to gain voter approval. The vote occurred in 2004 and was in favor (67%) of extending TRANSNET from 2008 to 2048. The program is a $14 billion program (in 2002 dollars) over those years and managed lanes are a key component. The extension of the I-15 managed lanes and addition of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) to the lanes will be funded in part by TRANSNET funds. Of the $14 billion: 1% is reserved for SANDAG's administration, $280 million for smart growth incentives, and $850 million for environmental mitigation. A taxpayer oversight committee is also part of the framework to ensure proper use of the tax revenue.
   
   Discussion
   Mr. Scott's presentation led to a lively discussion. Highlights included the following:
   • The TRANSNET Ordinance requires a minimum level of developer impact fees, or other private funding contributions, equal to $2,000 per dwelling unit, with no fee requirement for commercial and industrial development. The inclusion of this fee requirement as part of the ballot measure required an extensive negotiating process. This new fee requirement is in addition to local transportation impact fees currently being collected by local jurisdictions. For example, the City of San Diego has fees that can be as high as $30,000 per unit in some areas. The revenues from the new fees must be spent on defined regional facilities. Credit will be given to local jurisdictions that spend their existing fees on regional facilities.
   • Public acceptance of managed/HOT lanes was based on investing the net toll revenue in transit services in the corridor. This dispelled the "Lexus lanes" concept. Additionally, wording for surveys on managed lanes was carefully considered. In the range of 77% supported both managed lanes and BRT. Based on the long-range plan and the passage of TRANSNET, HOT lanes will be included as part of the major managed/HOV lane improvements planned in the major freeway corridors in the San Diego region.
   • TRANSNET will back a bonding initiative to begin many of the construction projects quickly. SANDAG has almost $1 billion in debt financing secured and has locked in interest rates below 4%.
   • Environmental mitigation projects will focus on creating large scale mitigation banks. SANDAG will buy property in advance of need as large tracts become available. This is done to lock in the low price and preserve the land for potential transportation use in the future. Environmental issues will be addressed immediately and mitigation ratios will be locked in early. In the future, SANDAG will be able to draw mitigation credits from the bank as transportation projects are delivered.
   • TRANSNET, through the use of debt financing, will allow the managed lanes project on I-15 to be built by 2012. The entire I-15 corridor has been environmentally cleared, so SANDAG's goal is to have all of the planned 20 miles of managed lanes on I-15 open by 2012.
   • SANDAG generally focuses on congestion relief, rather than building a transportation enhancement before an area becomes congested.
   • SANDAG is looking closely at Public Private Partnerships (PPP) to leverage the real estate around parking and transit stations. SANDAG is not currently looking at PPPs to operate managed lane facilities.
   • SANDAG is studying the compass card as an intermodal and interregional smart card. It could be used on transit and then possibly on managed lanes. This would allow consumers to use one payment method and one account to manage all transportation needs. Additionally, Orange County and San Diego County have interoperable toll transponders.
4. Presentation: I-15 Managed Lanes (Ray Traynor, SANDAG)
   
   Ray Traynor presented details on the managed lanes facility that is currently in operation on I-15. The facility opened in 1988 as HOV lanes and was converted to HOT lanes in 1996. There are two lanes at the center of the right of way that are separated from the general purpose lanes by permanent barriers. The lanes run eight miles southbound into San Diego from 5:30 am to 11:00 am. The lanes are then reversed and they run northbound out of San Diego from noon until 7:00 pm. The lanes are only closed for the short period (about 1 hour) that is required to reverse the direction of travel and on weekday evenings (7:00 pm to 5:30 am the following day). The lanes operate northbound at present on Saturdays and Sundays. There are only two entrance/exit points — one at either end of the eight miles. Below is a diagram of the current managed lanes on I-15.
   
   
   
   Figure 1: Current I-15 Managed Lanes Configuration
   
   
   The goal of the lanes is to manage congestion to level of service (LOS) C or better. This is accomplished by varying the toll level according to the congestion level. The higher the volume of cars, the higher the toll is set. Loop detectors are used to measure the volume of vehicles on the lanes. The toll is set dynamically (based upon real-time traffic conditions), usually ranges from 50 cents to $4 (although it can be set as high as $8), and is updated automatically every 6 minutes. The toll is charged only to single occupant vehicles (SOV). High occupant vehicles (HOV), containing two or more passengers, are exempt from the toll. FasTrak transponder users are given special bags (static bags) in which to place the transponder when their vehicle has 2 or more occupants. The static bags prevent the transponders from being read and prevent charges from appearing on user accounts. Toll enforcement is an issue that is difficult to address and the San Diego region is still looking for better methods.
   
   Tolls are charged electronically and there are currently about 30,000 toll transponders in circulation. However, approximately 77% of the traffic is HOV vehicles. There was an increase in usage when FasTrak transponders were introduced to allow users to pay to access the lanes. If HOV and transit vehicles ever produced LOS C without the tolled vehicles, the HOV requirement would be raised to 3 occupants or more. Revenue for the I-15 lanes is $2 million per year, which is split evenly between transit and facility operations. The $1 million designated for transit supports the Inland Breeze bus service.
   
   SANDAG performed a study before introducing the HOT lanes that included significant public outreach. Methods of outreach included stakeholder interviews, focus groups, and phone intercept surveys. The study found broad support for the managed lanes and equity was not an issue as the lanes were considered a fair and effective project.
   
   By 2012, I-15 will have four managed lanes stretching over 20 miles. The expanded facility will start at Escondido transit center in the north and continue to the current terminus north of San Diego in the south. There will be multiple exits and entrances and a BRT system will operate on the lanes. The new lanes will have a moveable barrier in the southern section to vary the number of lanes in each direction and they will be open at all times. Construction will take place in three phases: northern, southern and middle sections. Below is a diagram showing the new configuration.
   
   
   
   Figure 2: Future I-15 managed lanes configuration
   
   
   Discussion
   Following are highlights of the discussion that followed Mr. Traynor's presentation:
   • SANDAG will try to discourage managed lane users from jumping on and off of the facility. There will be variable pricing per mile and the prices will be higher in the more congested southern half. There will also be a $1 minimum toll.
   • SANDAG has not observed any casual car pools being formed.
   • There was an improvement in traffic flow in the general-purpose lanes once the managed lanes were introduced.
   • Enforcement is a difficult issue. Currently there is only visual enforcement by the California Highway Patrol (CHP). There is a high fine of $341 for eligibility violations and it is estimated that 5-15% are violators. The CHP issues a lot of verbal warnings but does not track these warnings.
5. Presentation: Bus Rapid Transit: An Integral Part of Managed Lanes (Barrow Emerson, SANDAG)
   
   Barrow Emerson presented details on the planned Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) portion of the I-15 managed lanes. The BRT on the I-15 managed lanes will not have its own guide way or right-of-way, rather it will operate like an HOV vehicle on the HOT lanes. The BRT system on I-15 will satisfy SANDAG's policy goal of developing multimodal facilities. Additionally, stations will be built to allow for future smart growth strategies, which will satisfy another policy goal.
   
   The BRT system will operate between downtown San Diego and State Route 78 to the Escondido transit center. The corridor is 35 miles long, 20 miles of which will be on the expanded I-15 managed lanes. Stations will be spaced every 4-5 miles in park and ride lots next to the freeway. Noise mitigation and capital savings were key concerns in not locating stations above the freeway. Buses will exit the freeway to make stops at these stations.
   
   There are still some questions about how the BRT system will operate on the managed lanes. It has not been decided how many parking spaces the park and ride lots will have. The question remains as to whether the buses will only service the stations along the freeway or if they will go into some neighborhoods to pick up passengers.
   
   The next steps for the I-15 BRT project include: finalizing park and ride demand; trying to determine carpool parking demand; and defining smart growth opportunities. SANDAG must also select vehicles for the service. The vehicles must be high capacity but also be nimble enough to maneuver in the tight spaces of a downtown environment.
   
   Discussion
   Following are highlights of the discussion that followed Mr. Emerson's presentation:
   • There was one environmental document that included the BRT project. FHWA was the lead agency and FTA worked on the documentation as well.
   • Bus services along the route will vary and different buses will stop at multiple but not all stations.
   • Travel time on the bus routes is in the 50-minute range, and SANDAG is looking into giving priority to BRT vehicles on the I-15 managed lanes.
   • There is also a possibility that the parking at station will be for a fee.
6. Presentation: I-5 North Coast Value Pricing Study (Heather Werdick, SANDAG)
   
   Heather Werdick gave a presentation in the I-5 North Coast Value Pricing Study. This study focuses on interstate 5 north of San Diego and how pricing strategies might be incorporated on this facility.
   
   The study focused on the feasibility and public acceptance of pricing strategies. Community outreach revealed that the public was generally in favor of managed lanes. The public preferred tolls as opposed to limiting SOV access to certain lanes. Respondents also preferred that revenues be used in the corridor.
   
   Traffic forecasts showed the managed lanes operating at 90% capacity by 2030. The study examined various pricing schemes that included variable toll rates for HOVs depending on the number of occupants. Pricing was generally shown to control demand. Revenue forecasts were in the $12-19 million per year range. Implementation would be targeted at the 2012 to 2015 range.
7. Federal Perspective (Jeff Lewis, FHWA)
   
   Jeff Lewis of the FHWA California Division prepared the following summary information.
   
   Environmental Clearance
   I-15 Managed Lanes (ML) 4 lane configuration, 20-mile corridor was originally proposed to be 17 categorical exclusions (CE's) for its National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) clearance. It would overlap onto the southern 8-mile portion of I-15's 2-HOV lanes that existed in which there was only an entrance and an exit. Upon further review to address logical termini and independent utility for environmental, it was agreed to group the 17 CE's into 3 CE's and 1 Environmental Assessment/Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI). The 3 CE's allowed the outside lane work to be accomplished with the environmental assessment (EA) to address the Managed Lanes in the wide median. The bus stations were originally to be part of the EA in teaming up with FTA and the local Metropolitan Transit Development Board (MTDB). As the highway project progressed, the bus stations were pulled out of the EA clearance due to complications of adequate funding, local neighborhood concerns, etc. though the ROW needed on I-15 for their Direct Access Ramps (DAR's) was not precluded. The ML could still function without the DAR's and/or the bus stations.
   
   Local Issues
   The I-15 Value Pricing-VP (Congestion Pricing) started back in the early 1990's and was physically implemented in 1996 via a decal. Jan Goldsmith was a local politician from the city of Poway who helped champion the effort to sell unused capacity and create public support for its use. State legislation was needed to use VP in which SOV could use the facility as long as the HOV LOS was not degraded (LOS D). Environmental Justice (EJ) was a hot issue at the projects start as the term "Lexus Lanes" was frequently used. Caltrans did a very admirable job in addressing Environmental Justice (EJ) by going out to the local communities and "shaking the bushes" for public involvement. Various meetings to explain the project were held with the diverse communities as well as running articles in the local Hispanic papers. A couple of the VP main goals were to address: congestion, revenue generated went back into the corridors transit and air quality (including trucks). SANDAG website has a number of the above subject reports on it.
   
   Operations
   Caltrans is the owner of the facility and SANDAG is an operator of the managed lanes. As mentioned earlier, colored decals were originally used in which a certain number were sold monthly and no tollbooths were used. In moving to less manual enforcement, electronic transponders were used in which a "toll area was created" that would have the SOV user go into a 3rd lane, go under a "reader" and then merge back into the main 2-lanes. Due to safety concerns, this 3rd lane was dropped and a gantry placed over both lanes. Currently, a "static bag" is used by the SOV's so when they have more than 1 rider, they put the bag in the bag so they will not be charged, however, this continues to be a concern as there seems to be a few that forget to take the transponder out of the bag. SANDAG has recently received another VP grant for studying vehicle enforcement systems (VES). CHP — California Highway Patrol is used to enforce the facility ridership with a violation costing $351.
   
   Funding
   CMAQ funds were originally used to construct the HOV lanes in the late 80's. Grant funds have been used over the years for the VP aspects. For the ML, a combination of CMAQ and Garvee bonds are being used. Garvee bonds allow 100% federal funds for the initial work/cost, but as the bonds are paid off, the state pro-rata share is still required to be furnished. Other funds possibly to be considered include Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA), FTA, developer, toll credits, and private funding.
   
   Construction
   Caltrans does not presently use design/build (D/B) for any of its projects with the exception of SR 125 Toll road in southern San Diego County. However, it does have a "pilot" program for design/sequencing, which is a hybrid D/B where the State is the designer of record. The success of D/S is having mixed results to date.
   
   Best Management Practice / Lesson Learned
   Caltrans and SANDAG used Major Investment Studies (MIS) back in the early 90's as part of the FHWA planning/NEPA requirement that caused all the stakeholders (including resource agencies) to get together early and up-front. This MIS effort also helped set up a public involvement process where various locals got a chance to better educate themselves and understand the process. Though a formal MIS is no longer required for FHWA NEPA clearance, the documentation of the planning/public input is still incorporated into the NEPA process.

B. Working Lunch Presentations by Atlanta Representatives

During lunch, the participants from the Atlanta region presented background on their region and perspectives on managed lanes.

1. Presentation: Feasibility Studies of HOT and TOT Lanes in Metro Atlanta (Erik Steavens, SRTA)
   
   Erik Steavens presented background on and results from a truck only toll (TOT) lanes study. In order to insure the truckers' association participation, the study was of a voluntary TOT lanes system. Fees would be charged only to manage congestion if there were oversubscription — LOS D would be maintained. Buses would be allowed on the TOT lanes because of their professional drivers
   
   Three alternatives were studied and the results showed significant time savings for the trucking industry of 50-80 minutes for those using the system over not using the system. This resulted in savings of $859 million annually.
   
   Benefits for automobile drivers included a 17-24% reduction in traffic in general purpose lanes as well as a 10-15% improvement to arterials. There was little air quality improvement, but air quality was not adversely affected.
   
   More information is available at www.hotandtotstudy.com.
2. Presentation: Managed Lanes in Atlanta (Rachel Cogburn, ARC)
   
   Rachel Cogburn of ARC presented background on ARC and the Atlanta region. ARC is the federally designated MPO for the Atlanta region. The Atlanta region expanded from 10 counties to all or part of 18 counties to after 2000 census. Additionally, ARC must consider 20 counties for air quality. This requires ARC to work with adjacent MPOs on air quality.
   
   The Atlanta region has 90 miles of interstate managed lanes that were used by 26,000 commuters per day in 2004. The system is comprised of a traditional HOV system with no HOT lanes yet. The majority of the planned managed lanes will be one lane in each direction.
   
   ARC's Mobility 2030 plan includes $54 billion of transportation projects in the fiscally constrained plan. ARC has a dual track Regional Transportation Plan (RTP)/Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) schedule in which it is taking a conservative approach. Its 2030 update and 2008-2013 TIP will follow TEA-21 guidelines and its 2035 plan and 2009-2014 TIP will follow SAFETEA-LU guidelines.
3. Presentation: Express Bus Service in Metro Atlanta (Marvin Woodward, GRTA)
   
   Marvin Woodward presented background on GRTA and express bus service in the Atlanta region. GRTA was formed 1999 after an Atlanta regional air quality conformity lapse and has the power to approve ARC's TIP for the Governor. GRTA has three focus areas: Mobility, Air Quality, and Land Use. Its jurisdiction is any air quality non-attainment area in the state of Georgia.
   
   Because the Metropolitan Atlanta Regional Transit Authority (MARTA) can only operate in two counties (Fulton and Dekalb), GRTA provides express bus service in some of the other counties. GRTA currently operates 60 buses and its biggest challenge is being able to build park and ride lots quickly enough. GRTA will handle the BRT portion of proposed managed lanes on I-75 in Metropolitan Atlanta.
4. Presentation: Commuter Rail Proposal in South Metro Atlanta (Gerald Ross, GDOT)
   
   Gerald Ross of GDOT explained the commuter rail proposal for the southern part of metropolitan Atlanta. A line to the south of Atlanta was studied and priced at $107 million for 26 miles and six stops. There would be four trains in the morning and four trains in the afternoon and evening. The $107 million figure is in 2002 dollars and will have to be renegotiated. There is consideration of providing six trains in each direction.
   
   One goal of the project is to take over 3,000 cars off the road. Another is to provide people with consistent time travel. A time guarantee will have to be negotiated with Norfolk Southern (NS) who owns the tracks.
   
   A Ford plant located along the tracks will soon be closing; this will mean fewer obstacles for using the line for passenger service. NS shares the line with CSX and having two freights railroads already on the track is an issue.
   
   GDOT has been in negotiations for 2 years regarding starting the commuter service. There are still questions as to what type of entity would operate the new line. Currently, GDOT is searching for used locomotives that could use in a push-pull system.
   
   The Atlanta participants questioned how the San Diego commuter rail (the Coaster) funds it operations and maintenance. San Diego participants explained that 1/4 percent sales tax backs the Coaster and that Amtrak pays maintenance fees to use the tracks
5. Presentation: Public Private Initiatives (Daryl VanMeter, GDOT)
   
   Daryl Van Meter of GDOT gave two presentations — one on Public Private Initiatives (PPI) and one on a current managed lanes project on I-75/I-575.
   
   Legislation was introduced in 2003 for to support PPIs in Georgia. PPIs are useful because there are more needs than funding to meet them — to deliver all current transportation projects with no new projects added, it would require 31 years. Benefits of PPIs include: funding can be released for use on other projects and toll credits can be generated and used for the local match on some projects.
   
   The I-75/I-575 project includes, HOT, HOV and TOT lanes as well as BRT components. There would two be HOV lanes in each direction and BRT stations on I-75. A well-planned incident management system is a major part of the plan. GDOT is currently discussing the project with the FHWA.

C. Day 2 Field Trip to I-15 Managed Lanes Facility

The second day of this Peer Exchange featured a field trip to the I-15 managed lanes facility. Peer Exchange participants visited the Caltrans offices at the North end of the managed lanes. Participants were briefed on background about the current facilities and planning for their expansion. One unique aspect of the construction on which participants focused was California's design sequencing process. Design sequencing is a process where contractors bid on the construction of the project even though the design is not complete. The design is then completed in a sequence and given to the construction contractors. This can lead to price reductions or increases of up to 25%. The process is used because it can expedite the project completion.

Some interesting characteristics of the road were described. The permanent barrier has steel sections that are removable for emergency vehicle access. Additionally, there are magnets embedded in the roadway to study the possibility of guided vehicles in the future.

Following this briefing, participants toured the lanes and were able to walk in the median between the general purpose lanes and the managed lanes. Photographs of the facilities are provided below.

Figure 3: Peer Exchange Participants view I-15 Managed Lanes

Figure 4: Peer Exchange Participants at the Caltrans Managed Lanes Construction Offices

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IV. Lessons Learned and Recommendations

At the outset of the Peer Exchange, Georgia participants expressed an interest in hearing the lessons learned and recommendations from the managed lanes on I-15. Following is a summary:

• The region's most important lessons learned were how to change the managed lane paradigm away from "Lexus lanes" and how to deal with environmental justice requirements. The term "Lexus lanes" refers to a belief that managed lanes will only serve high-income individuals. However, low-income communities were targeted for input on the I-15 project and they expressed interest in better transit service. Therefore, revenue generated from the managed lane system is used to fund transit. This decision solved the "Lexus lanes" argument.
• San Diego participants stressed the importance of mobility and moving people. Moving vehicles was not the priority.
• Focusing on the entire transportation system is more important than focusing on one mode. San Diego has been successful with a multi modal approach: BRT and HOT lanes. San Diego participants recommended a policy of providing multiple travel choices in heavily used corridors
• The tolling provisions in TEA-21 reauthorization are important and useful
• Wording for surveys on managed lanes was carefully considered. Results of the surveys showed in the range of 70% supported both managed lanes and BRT.
• Local support is very important in implementing managed lanes. SANDAG recommended building support for pricing at the local level and having a "champion" to promote projects.
• Conducting market research before proceeding with a project is very important
• Having Federal "seed" money for a project is important
• Information and research sharing among agencies is key
• Prior to BRT station design parking needs and an operations plan should be finalized.
• For BRT it is important to understand the tradeoffs in infrastructure and service choices

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V. For More Information:

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VI. Attachments/Links

Appendix A — Participants List

Agenda

Program for Monday, January 30, 2006

Program for Tuesday, January 31, 2006

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Footnotes

¹ Important: must enter the Express Lanes (SB) before 11:00 am scheduled closure/lane reversal (back)

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