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 Municipal Option A Fraction of HOT Lane Cost

Municipal Bond Option- 50yrs HOT Lanes Extract a High Price

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.