Tolling and Pricing Program
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Value Pricing Pilot Program Projects Involving Tolls: Priced Lanes

This project category includes bus toll lanes, express toll lanes, FAIR lanes, high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes, and truck only toll (TOT) lanes.

Listed below each project category are projects that are currently being studied or have been completed. Each category includes a more detailed description of projects, an update of its current quarterly status, and a contact name for those seeking additional information about the project.

Bus Toll Lanes

Bus Toll Lanes (BTL) represent the pricing of a managed lane or lanes with up to 10% of the capacity dedicated to bus-transit. BTL is not a HOT Lane. Only transit-buses would be allowed to use the lane(s) without paying a toll.

Express Toll Lanes

Express Toll Lanes involve the pricing of new and/or existing highway lanes, generally in conjunction with highway expansion. Users must pay a toll to gain access to the express lanes. Preference (e.g., reduced-toll access) may be provided for high-occupancy vehicles.

Projects

Fast and Intertwined Regular (FAIR) Lanes

Fast and Intertwined Regular (FAIR) Lanes involve providing toll credits to all highway users based on their monitored usage of free regular lanes adjacent to premium-service HOT or Express Toll lanes. Accumulated credits would allow periodic free use of the priced lanes by these motorists, so that members of all income groups would obtain the benefits of using the priced lanes in proportion to their travel needs. This approach addresses income-based equity issues. Also, no one is asked to "pay again" for use of lanes "already paid for" through taxes - a common objection to pricing of existing free lanes.

Project

High-Occupancy Toll (HOT) Lanes

HOT Lanes involve converting existing high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes into priced lanes called high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes, or building new HOT lanes. These projects allow vehicles not meeting established occupancy requirements for use of an HOV lane to "buy-in" to the lane by paying a toll. Electronic tolling is used to ensure high-speed access to the lane and tolls are set at levels necessary to maintain the lane's speed advantage. HOT lanes provide a high-speed alternative for travelers wanting to bypass congested lanes. They can improve the use of capacity on previously underutilized HOV lanes, or to manage high traffic volumes on over utilized HOV lanes.

Projects

Truck Only Toll (TOT) Lanes

Truck Only Toll (TOT) Lanes if use of priced lanes is restricted to trucks, the lanes are called TOT lanes.

Projects


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