HOT Lane Discussion

Sept 4, 2012

CA 91 (LA Area)

I-15 (San Diego)

Some HOT Lane Examples

Drilldown- I-85 Atlanta HOV lane conversion 15 miles, $110M Opened Oct 2011

I-85 Drilldown “The overall effect on commute times is hard to pinpoint.

In some cases, commuters in the regular lanes sat in traffic longer since the HOT lanes opened; in other cases, their commute improved.-- Atlanta Journal Constitution, “HOT Lanes Pick Up Momentum, Critics”, Feb 29, 2012

Traffic modeling shows that the toll lanes, capped at a maximum number of drivers, will flow freely even at rush hour. But traffic conditions in the untolled lanes will remain essentially unchanged whether the toll lanes are built or not. -- Atlanta Journal Constitution, “Are HOT Lanes a Good Idea For Georgia Highways?”, Sept 19, 2011

I-405 Orange County, CA Currently 5 lanes in each direction Orange County Transportation Authority

(OCTA) proposed adding HOT lanes without additional GP lanes

Six cities sent letter to OCTA in opposition "Alternative 2 (GP Lanes) provides the

greatest travel time savings and vehicle capacity in the general purpose lanes”--theNewspaper.com, Public Officials Upset Over Tolling, Accessed Aug 18, 2012

I-595 Miami, FL From the FDOT Website:

With the Express Lanes, motorists have the choice of paying for a reliable travel time.

HOT Lanes in General- Conclusion:

HOT lanes provide an alternative, not a solution,

to congestion

What about I-77 Specifically?

I-77 HOT Lane “What it comes down to,” Coxe says, “is whether it’s

worth it for me to pay a toll to get to that meeting on time or to be at my desk downtown at a certain time.

That’s a decision people will be able to make every day.” -- Lake Norman Citizen, “Dynamic Tolling Means Automation, Enforcement”, April 27, 2012

“As the demand for that road goes up, the toll would go up, too, so we could manage the amount of traffic that goes into that lane.”-- Barry Moose, WSOC, “Charlotte Interstates Could Become Toll Roads”, July 1, 2010

HOT Lanes Will Ensure Congestion, Not Relieve It

I-77 HOT Lanes- Net Gain

“The tolls could generate as much as $25M over 20+ years”-- various

“DOT is short $15M but Moose says his office could ‘shuffle the budget to find the difference’.”-- Charlotte Observer, “I-485 Could Be Finished Sooner”, Aug 16, 2008

So Fifty Years of Tolls ~ “Shuffling the Budget” !!

The Proposed HOT Lanes Costs

Operating ($2M/yr) Additional Law Enforcement ($??) Toll Equipment ($??) User Transponder Cost ($??)

Congestion relief is an admitted secondary concern

Huge cost in wasted time & fuel: 10,000 x 2.5hrs x 50weeks x 50years= 60M+

man-hours of delay (over 7,000 man-years)

All That For a $20M Gain Over 20 Years?

The Proposed HOT Lanes: …do not cover construction costs …do not relieve congestion in the

long term …lock us into a situation for the next

50 years … make us subservient to the P3

partner for any future changes New interchanges/ exits Additional lanes ??

So Why HOT Lanes?

Reason 1: There’s No Money

Reason 2: There’s No Money

Reason 3: There’s No Money

“There’s No Money”

I-77 Not Just Cornelius’ #1 priority: “Of all the needs that we have in our five county

region I feel like that (widening I-77) is the number one need moving forward.”--Barry Moose, “Engineer: More Lanes on I-77 Should Be Next”, WCNC, Nov 18, 2009

$50B Chasing $10B funding Given I-77’s importance, shouldn’t it land in the

top 20% for funding?

“There’s No Money” Within a five year timeframe, Iredell will

have completed: Three new exits Two+ miles of additional lanes A $90M upgrade of the I-77/I-40 interchange

$750M bridge to the Outer Banks has been delayed

I-485 is coming in at $65M less than budgeted

Exit 28 is one tenth of original estimates due to DDI

We Have a Window of Opportunity Where Funded Projects Are Coming In Under Budget

I-77 Through LKN: Has never been widened in 40+ years Serves one of the fastest growing regions in

the state Is the only four lane interstate in

Mecklenburg County Is now the most congested four lane in the

state and…

…is set to become the first toll lane in the county

Some Questions Since HOT lanes will affect all of us for

decades, why aren’t we questioning this?

How can we engage the Legislature/ NCDOT to divert funding from under-budget projects to build GP lanes?

Given the minimal gain from HOT lanes ($20M over 20 years), couldn’t the LKN towns bond this and build GP lanes? $250K per town annually Possibly pro-rated on a population basis

Municipal Bond Option- 20yrs

HOT Lanes GP LanesOperating Cost 40$ -$ (1)Recouped Construction Cost 20$ -$ (2)LKN Town Bonds -$ 20$ P3 ROI 20$ -$ (3)

Total paid for by LKN Citizens 80$ 20$ (1) $2M/Yr for 20 years(2) From several sources(3) Assumes $1M/Yr

Cost to LKN Citizens

Municipal Option A Fraction of HOT Lane Cost

Municipal Bond Option- 50yrs

HOT Lanes Extract a High Price

HOT Lanes GP LanesOperating Cost 100$ -$ (1)Recouped Construction Cost 20$ -$ (2)LKN Town Bonds -$ 20$ P3 ROI 50$ -$ (3)

Total paid for by LKN Citizens 170$ 20$ (1) $2M/Yr for 50 years(2) From several sources(3) Assumes $1M/Yr

Cost to LKN Citizens

Recommendations

Cornelius to NCDOT Formally communicate concerns and

withdraw support for HOT lanes until these are addressed

Convene a task force ala the Red Line to perform due diligence

LNTC Create a task force to pursue funding Investigate municipal bonding option

HOT Lanes Will Be With Us the Rest of Our Lives. We Need To Take the Time To Get This Right.