Express Lane(s) Alternative

The Environmental Study currently underway identified the Express Lane(s) Alternative as the Reasonable Build Alternative for several reasons, including that they offer reliable travel times for single occupancy vehicles, transit buses and emergency vehicles. They also provide the shortest peak period travel time for all vehicles, including those using the general-purpose lanes.

There are six different operational configuration options under consideration for the Express Lane(s) Alternative:

1A. ONE EXPRESS LANE + DOWNTOWN DIRECT CONNECTION
1B. ONE EXPRESS LANE WITHOUT DOWNTOWN DIRECT CONNECTION
2A. TWO EXPRESS LANES + DOWNTOWN DIRECT CONNECTION
2B. TWO EXPRESS LANES WITHOUT DOWNTOWN DIRECT CONNECTION
2C. TWO EXPRESS LANES + ELEVATED RAMPS NEAR BARTON SKYWAY
3. CITY OF AUSTIN PROPOSAL

More information on these options is available in the archived materials shared at Open House #4 in 2015 and Open House #5 in 2021-2022.

WHAT ARE EXPRESS LANES?

• Express lanes are special lanes that would be separated from the existing non-tolled general-purpose lanes.
• Express lanes provide public transit buses, registered vanpools and emergency vehicles with a reliable, non-stop, toll-free route.
• Because public transit buses, registered vanpools and emergency vehicles would not use up all the space in the Express lanes, individual drivers would be permitted to use the lanes for the price of the variable toll.
• To keep the express lanes from becoming congested, individual drivers are charged a variable toll that increases when traffic is heavy and decreases when traffic is light. The primary goal is to keep the express lanes free flowing as much as possible.
• Express lanes would encourage people to carpool because they have the option to share the cost of the trip among vehicle occupants.
• Express lanes are not intended for everyday use. They are intended for special occasions when you simply cannot be late.  
• Individual drivers would have to decide whether any particular trip is worth the price of the toll at the time they wish to use the express lanes.
• Changeable electronic signs display the current rates in real time, so drivers know the price before deciding whether to enter the lanes.
• Once you are in the lanes, the price you saw on the signs is the price you are guaranteed to pay. Drivers entering after you or at different locations may pay a different rate.

Learn more about express lanes here 

WHY EXPRESS LANE(S)?

There are several approaches to congestion relief when a roadway faces more demand than it has the capacity to meet. One of these approaches is to build more lanes. The approach to solving congestion by simply adding multiple lanes of pavement is not sustainable and has not proven to be effective in managing traffic and promoting transit because of a factor called latent demand. Latent demand is the term used to describe drivers that would use a particular highway but, due to congestion, choose to take other routes or travel at a different time. Although adding lanes may initially decrease congestion, drivers who would normally use other routes, travel during different times, or use other modes of transportation change their patterns to fill the newly added capacity. Express lanes, using variable toll pricing, are being implemented around Texas and other states to manage congestion rather than patching the problem just to face the same challenges in a few years.