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WHAT ARE HOT LANES? High Occupancy/Toll (HOT) lanes are limited-access managed lanes that allow free use for eligible carpoolers, transit riders, and motorcyclists while allowing previously ineligible non-HOV drivers to buy back into the lane for a fee. The number of cars using these lanes can be controlled by varying the fee to encourage free- flowing traffi c in the HOT lanes at all times, even during rush hour (i.e. morning and evening). The price would be higher during peak periods when demand is greater and lower during less congested times. If a motorist does not want to pay the toll, they can still use the general purpose lanes at no cost. The project will not remove any existing general purpose lanes. SOURCE: MUMPO |
State Department of Transportation officials and regional planners will hold public information workshops in Cornelius Wednesday and in Charlotte Thursday on a proposal to convert High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes on I-77 north of Charlotte into High Occupancy/Toll (HOT) lanes. The workshop will look at four scenarios for the change, which would raise money to help pay for widening of the heavily congested stretch of interstate.
The first workshop runs Wednesday, May 9, from 4 to 7 p.m. at Cornelius Town Hall, 21445 Catawba Ave., Cornelius. The second will be Thursday, May 10, 4-7 p.m., at the N.C. DOT’s Traffic Management Center, 2327 Tipton Drive, off Statesville Avenue, Charlotte.
The workshops are organized by the N.C. DOT and Mecklenburg-Union Metropolitan Planning Organization (MUMPO), along with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).
Regional planners say the I-77 corridor between I-277 in Charlotte and Exit 28 (Catawba Avenue) in Cornelius is often over capacity at peak travel times. That congestion will worsen without improvements, they say, but funding for the work is limited. So officials are considering “alternative funding options” such as partial toll lanes to help pay for the project.
Planners are proposing to convert the existing HOV lanes into toll lanes. Project maps and information will be displayed at the workshop, and agency staff and consultants will be there to discuss the project and answer questions and gather feedback on the various plans. The workshop will be an open house format and will not include a formal presentation.
The four scenarios under consideration are:
- Scenario 1: Convert the existing HOV lanes to high occupancy toll (HOT) operations and extend them north to Exit 28. This could be completed by the end of 2015, with toll exemptions for those with two or more occupants.
- Scenario 2: Convert the existing HOV lanes to high occupancy toll (HOT) operations and extend them north to exit 28. This also could be completed by the end of 2015, with toll exemptions for those with three or more occupants.
- Scenario 3: Convert the existing HOV lanes to high occupancy toll (HOT) operations and expand them to provide 2 HOT lanes in each direction between I-85 and exit 28. Finished by end of 2015, with toll exemptions for those with two or more occupants.
- Scenario 4: Convert the existing HOV lanes to high occupancy toll (HOT) operations and expand them to provide 2 HOT lanes in each direction between I-85 and exit 28. To be finished by end of 2015, with toll exemptions for those with three or more occupants.
State officials held a public hearing on April 18 in Huntersville that also gathered input on the plans.
RELATED DOCUMENTS
MUMPO web page devoted to the improvements on I-77 from I-277 to Exit 28.
Read about the 4 proposed scenarios
North Carolina Department of Transportation HOT Lanes Summary Presentation
