Operational Impacts from Managed Lanes Implementation in Birmingham, AL

The continuous increase in automobile use is directly related to the increase in congestion and decline in air quality in urban settings. In the recent years, increased construction costs, right-of-way constraints and environmental and social issues shifted the interest of transportation agencies from building new roadways to strategies that maximize the operational efficiency of existing facilities. One such strategy is the implementation of managed lanes. The term “managed lanes” refers to a variety of management tools and techniques that are combined in order to improve freeway efficiency and meet certain facility operating objectives. These include access control restrictions, vehicle eligibility, and pricing strategies. To address the continually growing problem of urban congestion in the Birmingham, AL metropolitan area, this study examined the potential of managed lane strategies in improving traffic operations and assisting in congestion mitigation. High-Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes and truck-only lanes are among the strategies being considered. First, an extensive literature review was performed to review the state of practice and summarize best practices and lessons learned from earlier deployments efforts. Then, appropriate managed-lane design features were determined based on local conditions. Finally, traffic modeling and analysis were performed using the CORSIM microscopic simulation tool to quantify the impact from managed lanes implementation on travel speeds, travel times, delays, and fuel consumption.