HOT Lane Discussion Sept 4 2012 Some HOT

HOT Lane Discussion Sept 4, 2012

Some HOT Lane Examples CA 91 (LA Area) I-15 (San Diego)

Drilldown- I-85 Atlanta o o o HOV lane conversion 15 miles, $110 M Opened Oct 2011

I-85 Drilldown o “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 o 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 o Currently 5 lanes in each direction o Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) proposed adding HOT lanes without additional GP lanes o Six cities sent letter to OCTA in opposition o "Alternative 2 (GP Lanes) provides the greatest travel time savings and vehicle capacity in the general purpose lanes” --the. Newspaper. com, Public Officials Upset Over Tolling, Accessed Aug 18, 2012

I-595 Miami, FL o From the FDOT Website: n 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 o “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 o “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 o “The tolls could generate as much as $25 M over 20+ years” -- various o “DOT is short $15 M 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 o Costs n n Operating ($2 M/yr) Additional Law Enforcement ($? ? ) Toll Equipment ($? ? ) User Transponder Cost ($? ? ) o Congestion relief is an admitted secondary concern o Huge cost in wasted time & fuel: n 10, 000 x 2. 5 hrs x 50 weeks x 50 years= 60 M+ man-hours of delay (over 7, 000 man-years) All That For a $20 M Gain Over 20 Years?

The Proposed HOT Lanes: o …do not cover construction costs o …do not relieve congestion in the long term o …lock us into a situation for the next 50 years o … make us subservient to the P 3 partner for any future changes n New interchanges/ exits n Additional lanes n ? ?

So Why HOT Lanes? o Reason 1: There’s No Money o Reason 2: There’s No Money o Reason 3: There’s No Money

“There’s No Money” o I-77 Not Just Cornelius’ #1 priority: n “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 o $50 B Chasing $10 B funding n Given I-77’s importance, shouldn’t it land in the top 20% for funding?

“There’s No Money” o Within a five year timeframe, Iredell will have completed: n Three new exits n Two+ miles of additional lanes n A $90 M upgrade of the I-77/I-40 interchange o $750 M bridge to the Outer Banks has been delayed o I-485 is coming in at $65 M less than budgeted o 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: o Has never been widened in 40+ years o Serves one of the fastest growing regions in the state o Is the only four lane interstate in Mecklenburg County o Is now the most congested four lane in the state and… o …is set to become the first toll lane in the county

Some Questions o Since HOT lanes will affect all of us for decades, why aren’t we questioning this? o How can we engage the Legislature/ NCDOT to divert funding from under-budget projects to build GP lanes? o Given the minimal gain from HOT lanes ($20 M over 20 years), couldn’t the LKN towns bond this and build GP lanes? n $250 K per town annually n Possibly pro-rated on a population basis

Municipal Bond Option- 20 yrs Municipal Option A Fraction of HOT Lane Cost

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

Recommendations o Cornelius to NCDOT n Formally communicate concerns and withdraw support for HOT lanes until these are addressed n Convene a task force ala the Red Line to perform due diligence o LNTC n Create a task force to pursue funding n 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.