Self-driving trucks will soon have their own lane on Texas 130

[thisdj78]

https://www.statesman.com/story/business/transportation/2023/11/22/txdot-smart-freight-corridor-technology-self-driving-trucks-georgetown-del-valle/71669674007/

[BJ59]

Are they suggesting that self-driving trucks aren't safe enough to drive in the same lanes as human-operated vehicles?

[The Ghostbuster]

How do non-subscribers (such as myself) get access to the story? I am interested in the story, but not interested in subscribing to The Stateman.

[thisdj78]

How do non-subscribers (such as myself) get access to the story? I am interested in the story, but not interested in subscribing to The Stateman.

Odd, it opened for me and I don't subscribe. Either way, here's the story from another source:

https://www.kvue.com/article/news/state/texas-news/txdot-smart-freight-corridor/269-f1b14e5c-2bd9-4ddd-8350-f61b8f4807cb

[kalvado]

Looks like TX is interested in doing connected vehicles program - as opposed to fully autonomous driverless approach, for example Tesla.
Extra communication with the outside world can certainly make things more efficient, but doesn't mix well with noncommutative ones, e.g. human driven.

[DriverDave]

If they are so safe why do they have to separate them from other vehicles? Or do separate truck lanes improve traffic somehow? I've always wondered about that.

[NE2]

If they are so safe why do they have to separate them from other vehicles? Or do separate truck lanes improve traffic somehow? I've always wondered about that.

Same reason you can't drive on most railroad tracks.

[kalvado]

If they are so safe why do they have to separate them from other vehicles? Or do separate truck lanes improve traffic somehow? I've always wondered about that.

This is a different technology, for one.
But separating slower moving trucks (you cannot program them to go above speed limit!) May also be good safety thing.

[Bobby5280]

I think it would be a very costly waste to build lanes for self driving trucks. It would be one thing if all commercial trucks were self driving, but they're not. Most highways have a pretty limited amount of available ROW for expansion. I think population growth and population migration is a much greater driver for highway expansion needs.

[JREwing78]

I'm not seeing where trucks would have their own lanes, other than the picture in the article. SH-130 is already a money pit; I doubt the enthusiasm is there to widen it further without someone fronting a ton of money for it.

SM-G991U

[thisdj78]

I'm not seeing where trucks would have their own lanes, other than the picture in the article. SH-130 is already a money pit; I doubt the enthusiasm is there to widen it further without someone fronting a ton of money for it.

SM-G991U

First step is that the state needs to buy out the road and make it non-tolled. If they want to retain the revenue generation, they can add express tolled lanes in the middle while keeping the main lanes free. There's plenty of space in the median.

[Bobby5280]

I just don't see how it makes any financial sense at all to build any highway lanes that would be used only by self driving trucks. There isn't enough self driving trucks in that region of Texas to make the endeavor worth it. On top of that the trucks would likely have to drive in regions well beyond the Austin metro.

Also, removing the tolls on TX-130 wouldn't really make any difference, other than raising the maintenance burden on gasoline tax funded roads. Again, there is no such thing as a free road.

[kalvado]

I just don't see how it makes any financial sense at all to build any highway lanes that would be used only by self driving trucks. There isn't enough self driving trucks in that region of Texas to make the endeavor worth it. On top of that the trucks would likely have to drive in regions well beyond the Austin metro.

Also, removing the tolls on TX-130 wouldn't really make any difference, other than raising the maintenance burden on gasoline tax funded roads. Again, there is no such thing as a free road.

I can imagine certain heavily travelled routes have a lot of truck traffic doing the same routing. Port to warehouse, for example.
Without knowing anything specific about the area in question, I can only assume there may be something specific in mind for the corridor.

[thisdj78]

Also, removing the tolls on TX-130 wouldn't really make any difference, other than raising the maintenance burden on gasoline tax funded roads. Again, there is no such thing as a free road.

That's why I was saying build tolled express lanes in the median, make the rate variable based on peak hours. It may not make up 100% of the prior toll revenue, but it would come close, especially on the segment between SH45 in Pflugerville and SH71.