Illinois Tollway board votes for Governor's "green lanes" plan, IC upgrades & higher truck tolls

The Illinois Tollway board voted today to implement the Governor Blagojevich's Congestion Relief Program, Phase Two which includes difficult "Green Lanes." The plan was announced by the Governor's office last month without any known feasibility study, and the Tollway has now taken on the job of making it work.

The Green Lanes plan involves converting the far left lane of existing 3 and 4 lane Tollway roadways into a lane offering access to high occupancy vehicles (HOVs) at normal toll rates but allowing single occupant vehicles in at premium toll rates varied to maintain free flow - managed lanes.

Although called "green lanes" they would treat single occupant vehicles the same whether "green" (high mpg, hybrid) or black (gas guzzlers).

80 miles (129km) of the four tollways would get Green Lanes at an estimated cost of $400m, the plan says.

Unusual features

Unique features of the proposal are:

- a regular lane is taken for variable tolling (most HOT lanes are either a new lane or a pre-existing HOV lane)

- variable toll rates in the green lanes would be applied alongside flat toll rates in the regular lanes (most variable toll rates are imposed in all toll lanes)

- access/egress points look from the diagrams shown look likely to create weave and merge problems (most HOT lanes projects have an additional diverge/merge lane at crossover points, and separate direct connector ramps at major interchanges

- there is no indication in the plans of any enforcement zones to pull over violators

The use of a single HOT lane in each direction, while not unique, is out of step with priced lane practice which generally deploys two lanes per direction. Since there is no overtaking possible a single lane gets blocked by a slow motorist and has a lower average throughput than multiple lanes.

Most managed/premium price lanes go double for overtaking

All the following priced lane projects have two or more lanes per direction in peak hours because of the higher capacity:

- 91 Express Lanes, Los Angeles CA 2-lanes each direction always

- I-15 San Diego, 2 lanes reversible now, being expanded to 3 lanes with moveable barrier to allow 2-lanes or 3 lanes in peak direction

- I-10 Katy Freeway Houston new toll lanes, 2 lanes each direction always

- LBJ Freeway I-635, Dallas TX 2 lanes each direction for most of length

- I-394 Minneapolis, the busiest part is 2-lanes reversible, but the other parts are single laned

- I-95 Miami, 2-lanes each direction, northbound open now, southbound 2009

- I-495 HOT lanes Capital Beltway, northern Virginia, 2 lanes each direction always

- I-95/395 HOT lanes northern Virginia, 3 lanes reversible

- I-595 Ft Lauderdale FL, 3 lanes reversible

- I-95 north of Baltimore MD under construction, 2 lanes each direction always

The Illinois Tollway has implemented open road tolling at its 20 mainline toll plazas greatly reducing congestion but it is still to complete an extensive 3rd and 4th laning so it is unclear how much congestion will remain on the Tollway system. Where there is free flow in the regular lanes motorists have no incentive to pay a premium toll to travel in express lanes, so it is uncertain where the concept will be attractive.

A private firm will be sought to assist with the design, implement and manage the new "green lane" system, the Tollway says.

Systemwide conversion is to begin in 2010.

Interchange improvements

Less problematic are $1,400m of interchange improvements although the round figures of $500m each for two major projects suggest little study or planning has yet been done:

- $500m for an interchange at I-294/I-57 in the southwestern suburbs where the free interstate passes over the Trstate Tollway (I-294) without any connections, the new interchange will cater to six of 8 possible movements, also doing some ramps at 147th Street, to be built 2013-14

- $500m for modernization of the I-90 Jane Addams Tollway interchange with IL53/I-290 in Rolling Meadows/Schaumburg which has an obsolete 2-level full cloverleaf, to be built 2015-2016

- $400 of other interchange upgrades

The Tollway documents cite USDOT data for a claim that the $1.8b of interchange improvements will "sustain an estimated 50,000 jobs."

Truck toll increases of 60% for 2015

Funding will come from any surplus on the premium tolls in the green lanes plus higher truck tolls, though these are not scheduled until 2015 through 2017. In that period tolls at typical mainline plazas will go up, first 40% in 2015, then up 50% on present rates in 2016 and up the full 60% in 2017:

- for 2-axle trucks from $1.50 to $2.40 (18c/mile)

- 3 and 4-axle trucks $2.25 to $3.60 (27c/mile)

- 5-axle and above $4.00 to $6.40 (43c/mile)

see Tollway documents here:

http://www.illinoistollway.com/portal/page?_pageid=133,1399545&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL

Here is a presentation given to the Tollway board meeting:

http://www.tollroadsnews.com/sites/default/files/ILTwyCRP2.pdf

COMMENT: This has all the hallmarks of an opportunistic, political plan cobbled together in great haste. The green lanes so-called will need to be drastically modified to be workable, or scrapped.

Toll increases scheduled to take effect seven years hence  - through election cycles in 2010, 2012 and 2014 - are hardly credible. Neither this Governor nor this Tollway board are likely to be around, so they will be easily disowned.

ADDITION: A Tollway official commenting on this says on the green lanes: "Without Board direction to study and authorization for funding, Tollway was not able to undertake the full-fledged study."

However that is being initiated immediately.

TOLLROADSnews 2008-11-20 AMENDED on truck tolls and addition 2008-11-21 15:00