10/19/04-Toll roads and reversible lanes are among the options for easing congestion in Utah that drivers could encounter if state lawmakers endorse the recommendation of a legislative planning panel.
The Transportation Planning Task Force, a group of lawmakers examining how the state’s transportation infrastructure can be maintained and improved, voted unanimously Oct. 13 to recommend to the Legislature a handful of methods for “managing lanes.”
The recommendation comes as the Utah Transportation Department wraps up its yearlong study of managed lanes as a means to maximize the capacity of the state’s roads.
UDOT Executive Director John Njord told the Deseret Morning News toll roads are one option that could be utilized for managing lanes in the state.
“Toll roads still need to be subsidized with some other revenue source to build them,” Njord told the panel, adding that 40 percent to 50 percent of the cost of a toll road can be paid for by user fees.
“We think there are some opportunities in our state to have some toll roads. Where these areas are, we’re not sure yet,” he said.
Njord said reversible lanes are another option. Reversible lanes allow the direction of travel on one or more lanes to be reversed during rush hours to provide more capacity in the direction of high demand.
High-occupancy vehicle and high-occupancy toll lanes were also mentioned as possibilities.
HOV lanes debuted in Utah in 2001 with the completion of the Interstate 15 reconstruction project in Salt Lake County. More of these lanes are planned for the future.
HOT lanes would permit motorists who drive solo to pay a fee to access the lanes.
“It’s selling excess capacity,” Njord said. “We think there’s a lot of advantages in doing that.”
The task force will present this and other recommendations to lawmakers prior to the start of the 2005 legislative session that begins in January.