HOV to HOT Conversion Project

Traffic. It's everywhere in Atlanta- pretty much any time, any day- it flows through our city like a living river. At it's widest, the Downtown Connector (I-75/I-85) gets up to 16 lanes (8 per direction-one of the widest in the world) and can carry over 270,000 cars per day.

In 1994 the federal government financed 18 miles of HOV (High Occupancy Vehicle) lanes for part of the busiest section of the highway. In 1996, and then again in 2001, 83 additional miles were opened to make the HOV lanes what they are today. HOV lanes (in Atlanta) are only for carpool, van-pool, bus, low emissions vehicle, and motorcycle use, and the purpose is to keep vehicles traveling at speeds no less than 40mph during rush hour (what a joke!). If you've ever ridden in the HOV lane anytime near rush hour, you are pretty much guaranteed to travel pretty much the exact same speed as the rest of traffic. This is a huge problem for the City, not only for just traffic, but for the environment, maintenance, and your sanity/road rage. The government gives the state of Georgia funds for the maintenance and future development of interstates, and the fact that Atlanta cannot maintain the "required" 40mph at all times in the HOV lanes, some serious measures need to be taken. 

This issue has been looked at for many years as the traffic in Atlanta only continues to get worse. A few of the major reasons for this issue are enforcement of classified users and just the general amount of cars traveling on the interstate. With everything considered, the USDOT granted 110 million dollars to implement in Atlanta a new concept called HOT (High Occupancy Toll) for the Atlanta Congestion Reduction Demonstration (CRD) Grant project. HOT lanes have only recently come on the scene, the majority of which are in Maryland and Virginia. The idea is that a vehicle will pay a toll for using what was the HOV lane, and that vehicle will pay some rate per mile driven in that lane, by how many people are riding in the car (3+ is free), and the number of cars currently using the lane (higher rates for rush hour). 

The goal of this project is to provide commuters with a "reliable" travel option in the I-85 corridor, including peak hour speeds averaging greater than 45 mph in the I-85 Express Lanes. The estimated average trip length is 6 – 7 miles, with typical toll prices ranging from $0.60 to $6.00 (!) depending on congestion. It is estimated that over 90 percent of customers will pay less than $5.00 for their trip, including 25 percent of customers who will not pay any toll. 

Vehicles will be monitored by sensors called a Peach Pass (think GA 400 cruise card) for when they enter the HOT lane and then exit. The HOT lane will have restricted access and egress points along with cameras, sensors, and enforcers. You will not be able to cross the "solid double white line" whenever you want, which is also a major cause of HOV lane traffic delay. Designated entry points will still be marked with a dashed white line, but fines will be given to those who exit at undesignated points. 

I've been to a couple of discussions/presentations on this HOV to HOT conversion project- mainly as it pertains to Gwinnett County, since that's the first section of HOT lanes that will open. The first section will be 15 miles on I-85 from Chamblee Tucker Road north to Old Peachtree Road. This section is already under construction (see new signs below) and is planned to open on July 31, 2011 (weather permitting). 

I know this is a lot of information, especially if you're not familiar with this project, but it's important for the future of Atlanta traffic. This is a big, expensive undertaking that seems very complicated, especially from the driver's perspective. You'll have to "figure" out how much it will cost you, how far you will go, where you can enter/exit, and either pre-pay or load your Peach Pass with enough funds. I know that congestion has been researched quite a lot in Atlanta, and one of the ideas that I was supporting was the HOV3 concept which would increase the HOV lane to 3+ people only. The research "showed" that the usage would decrease by 70% and then the HOV lane would be vastly under utilized. My thought, which I think is the direction we should be trying to go, is that the attitude and behavior of the users would change with the HOV3, and more people would carpool, and put less drivers and vehicles out on the road, which would decrease traffic everywhere. Anyway, I guess we will find out how this all will work out pretty soon! Were excited that this will alleviate some traffic especially for those of us in Brookhaven that might commute up and down the I-85 corridor.  Let us know your thoughts.