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6.0 Summary of Recommendations

6.4.3 Express Lanes

Guideline Express Lane Design Guideline 1
Title Lane Placement
Text To avoid or minimize potential conflicts, express lanes should be located to the far left of the plaza.
Commentary This is consistent with general highway travel, therefore, meets the expectations of the drivers. This effectively prohibits any reversible lane operation. Facilities where staff must access tollbooths or toll equipment from a facility located in the median, a tunnel or overhead walkway is needed to accommodate express lanes located to the far left. See Chapter 2 for more information on toll plaza configuration.

 

Guideline Express Lane Design Guideline 2
Title Express Lane Design
Text Design of express lanes should preferably be a continuation of the normal mainline lanes with similar features (i.e. design speed, lane widths, and shoulder widths). The split between the express lanes and the conventional plaza lanes should occur prior to approach transition zone for the adjacent conventional plaza, and the merge downstream of the toll plaza should occur after the departure transition zone. (see Figure-3 and subsections 4.1 and 4.2).
Commentary A barrier wall, guardrail, delineators and/or other types of physical separation should be considered between the express lanes and the conventional toll plaza lanes when highway standard clear zone separation is available to prevent confused and deviant drivers from trying to access the conventional plaza.

 

Guideline Express Lane Design Guideline 3
Title Diverging and Merging Express Lane and Conventional Plaza Lane Traffic
Text Design of the conventional plaza approach and departure zones from and to the roadway mainline should comply with pertinent elements of interchange design, whereby the express lanes function the same as the mainline through lanes.
Commentary The design must account for the available right-of-way and the ultimate number of express and conventional plaza lanes, shoulder widths, and median. The ultimate express lane width should be equal to the ultimate mainline cross section.

 

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