Andrew Kluter, P.E., Co-Scribe, SF Bay Area ITE Section
On October 15, 2009, high occupancy toll (HOT) lanes in the SF Bay Area were the focus of a joint meeting of the SF Bay Area Sections of ITE and WTS, held at Jillian’s in San Francisco. Before the presentations, Kimberly Leung, President of the UC Berkeley ITE Chapter, provided an overview student activities since its inception one year ago. Joint meetings have been held with the University’s ASCE and Chi Epsilon chapters, as well as with TRANSOC, the graduate transportation engineering student group. Kimberly also discussed four ways that companies and ITE members can sponsor UCB ITE chapter events – the monthly general meeting, the annual banquet, the field trip fund, and the ITE Annual Meeting Fund. Earlier ITE member support enabled four UC Berkeley students to attend the last WesternITE meeting in Denver.
Lisa Klein, Project Manager for the Bay Area Regional Express (High-Occupancy Toll) Lane Program at the Bay Area’s Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), opened the presentations with a discussion of the regional HOT lane program. HOT lanes were first implemented in southern California in the late 1990s and have since spread to other major metro areas in the U.S. The concept is that carpoolers and buses use HOT lanes for free, while single-occupant drivers can choose to pay a toll that varies by time of day and is collected electronically. When completed, the Bay Area will have an 800-mile network, with 500 miles converted from traditional HOV lanes and the balance consisting of new lanes that primarily close gaps in the current HOV network. HOT lanes will use the limited access concept currently employed in southern California, a change from the continuous access of current Bay Area HOV lanes. Revenue generated from HOT lanes will be used in part to improve transit along these corridors. Current projects under development include the I-580 corridor in Pleasanton / Livermore, I-680 South over the Sunol Grade, and various South Bay routes (I-880, SR 237, SR 85, and U.S. 101). Enabling legislation for the Bay Area’s Regional Express Lane Network is currently working through Sacramento (California Assembly Bill 744).
The next presenter was Ray Akkawi, Principal Transportation Engineer at the Alameda County Congestion Management Agency, who discussed two HOT lane projects in Alameda County. The I-680 South HOT lane project extends for 14 miles from SR 84 in Pleasanton to SR 237 in Milpitas, with an expected completion in Fall 2010. The I-580 Eastbound HOT lane project consists of 11 miles in Dublin, Pleasanton, and Livermore, with Summer 2011 expected completion. For both projects, a minimum $1.00 peak hour toll would be charged to solo drivers, with variable pricing based on congestion in both the HOT and mixed-flow lanes. The goal is to maintain level of service (LOS) C in the express lanes. To ensure successful operation of the HOT lanes, ACCMA is implementing several measures, including marketing that explains the dynamic pricing concept, establishing enforcement methodologies and technologies, training customer service staff, and adding incident management staff. Enforcement technology will include overhead gantries and pavement loop detectors.
Murali Ramanujam, Senior Transportation Engineer with the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), concluded the presentations with an overview of the Silicon Valley Express Lanes Program. With 171 miles of HOV lanes, Santa Clara County has nearly half of all HOV lane miles in the Bay Area. Preliminary engineering is underway for the U.S. 101 and SR 85 HOT lanes through the County, as well as the express connectors at the I-880 / SR 237 interchange in Milpitas. The I-880 / SR 237 HOT lane project is expected to be complete in Spring 2011, while the SR 85 and U.S. 101 express lane projects are expected to be complete in 2013 and 2015, respectively. On U.S. 101, two express lanes per direction are envisioned, similar to the configuration of some facilities in southern California. VTA has conducted extensive public opinion research and focus groups to determine issues related to HOT lane operation, which include safety, enforcement, and carpool eligibility. The biggest challenge is expected to be familiarizing Bay Area drivers with the new concept of limited (rather than continuous) access to the HOT lanes.
