MDX Introduces Managed Lanes
Managed Lanes FAQ's
The Questions Drivers Ask Most
- What is the managed lanes concept?
"Managed lanes" are expressway travel lanes on which free-flow travel at 45 miles per hour to 55 miles per hour is guaranteed for vehicles using these lanes. This kind of congestion management practice provides particular benefit to essential services such as emergency vehicles, van pools and buses. Other private vehicles may also use these lanes for a fee in exchange for a shorter and more reliable commute. - Why are managed lanes important and being considered for Miami-Dade County?
There are two main benefits. First, this continuous network of express travel lanes would give motorists a kind of "congestion insurance." There would always be an alternative to stop-and-go freeway travel, for those times when local commuters really need it, such as to the airport or to avoid late fees at a day care center. Second, the network would provide travel routes for express bus service and emergency vehicles. - Where would they be located?
They are proposed for some of the most crowded segments of highway in Miami-Dade County. Florida's Turnpike Enterprise would add two reversible managed lanes along the Homestead Extension (HEFT) from Killian Parkway to SR 836, the Dolphin Expressway. The Miami-Dade Expressway Authority would add two managed lanes each in both the eastbound and westbound directions on SR 836 from the HEFT to the airport. - How does the pricing of a managed lane work?
Buses and emergency vehicles would use the lanes free of charge. Motorists would have the choice of paying for a guaranteed travel time. The rates in Miami-Dade County will be determined after financial studies are completed. - How would managed lanes benefit me as a motorist/user?
By offering additional travel choices for each trip, managed lanes will provide the means to relieve congestion on general use lanes while providing a free-flow alternative. - Who uses managed lanes?
In states where managed lanes are in use, the average working commuter uses these lanes, depending on the purpose/urgency of a particular trip. The Federal Highway Administration has conducted studies that show managed lanes are used by people from all income segments and all demographic groups. In fact, the experience at SR 91 in Orange County, California, is that predominant users are commercial and service vehicles, as well as working people who benefit from the guaranteed travel times. In California, 25 percent of people whose household annual incomes are less than $25,000 said they use the express lanes frequently. Emergency vehicles and buses would use the lanes free of charge. - How do managed lanes operate?
Managed lanes are separated from the general toll lanes and have only a few points of entrance and exit. Message signs would tell drivers the cost and travel time of using the managed lanes. Demand for the excess capacity from cars and other vehicles would be managed by raising or lowering toll prices on the lanes based on supply and demand. Tolls would be collected electronically. SunPass technology is currently under review to provide a cheaper, but equally effective transponder to commuters. The Florida's Turnpike Enterprise is testing a transponder that will cost a fraction of the current $25 initial charge. - Why not just build more general toll lanes?
Building more lanes will only spread congestion and will not alleviate traffic in the long run. Additionally, on many sections of Miami-Dade expressways and the Florida Turnpike, there is limited room for expansion. Managed lanes will contribute the most to mobility and to preserving capacity within the confined corridor. Neither MDX nor the Turnpike needs to purchase any additional land to add managed lanes. - How much would it to cost to build managed lanes in Miami-Dade? Would tax dollars be used or an alternate funding mechanism?
Preliminary planning estimates anticipate the project cost to be $725 million. Financing of the system would come from tolls and revenue bonds. The system would not require deferral of other projects. - Has this concept been used successfully?
Since the managed lane concept was introduced in 1993, it has been utilized and enthusiastically accepted by consumers in New York, California and Texas. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey used managed lanes to handle traffic into and out of Manhattan after the events of 9/11. - Are there any benefits to using managed lanes?
In addition to reduced congestion and preserving capacity, managed lanes will reduce delays, therefore lowering total driving hours on the roadways and creating environmental advantages. By making bus and van pooling more attractive, managed lanes would meet the objective of taking more single-passenger cars off the road during peak hours. Eventually, the high-speed buses will build the ridership to make Metrorail feasible along the corridor. - What would happen if the Managed Lanes are not built?
There is not enough room to build all the lanes needed to meet demand at peak times when the managed lanes would become operational in 2011. Without a managed lane approach, new general toll lanes would quickly fill up to existing congestion levels. Another alternative is to build exclusive bus lanes, but those lanes leave a huge amount of capacity unused.
