http://blogs.ocweekly.com/navelgazing/2013/12/405_freeway_add_lane_no_toll.php
QuoteThe Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) board voted today to add a new lane in each direction of the 405 freeway from the 605 freeway to Euclid Street in Fountain Valley--but they would be free and not toll lanes. Lexus lanes had previously been proposed (to a chorus of boos) from the Los Angeles County line in Seal Beach to the 73 in Costa Mesa, which eventually changes from the Corona del Mar Freeway to the San Joaquin Hills toll road.
But the board meeting in Orange voted 12-4 to go not with toll lanes but with the freeway option, which would be paid for with $1.3 billion from the Measure M half-cent sales tax.
The timeline has an environmental impact report being completed by the end of next summer, construction beginning in 2015 and work done by 2020, OCTA spokesman Ted Nguyen tells City News Service.
The federal government threatened to withhold highway funds if something is not done to relieve congestion along that stretch of the 405, which is the busiest in the country.
Through the fall, there had been discussion among Orange County cities and governments about creating toll express lanes along this section of I-405 (from I-605 to Euclid Street). The segment of I-405 between I-605 and SR 22 has been recently under construction to improve connections with SR 22 and to increase capacity. A HOV lane already passes through this area, one in each direction. I had thought the busier section of I-405 was up by LAX, but the article suggests the busier section of I-405 is between I-605 and SR 73. I had not heard of the "federal government" (FHWA?) stating it would hold back highway funds.
Regards,
Andy
http://www.voiceofoc.org/countywide/this_just_in/article_42599450-60f8-11e3-b708-0019bb2963f4.html
This is a slightly different take on the 405 toll lane discussion in Orange County:
QuoteThe Orange County Transportation Authority board Monday killed a hotly debated proposal to add toll lanes to Interstate 405 but did approve an additional free lane in each direction on the highway and emphasized that toll lanes remain a viable option to alleviate traffic congestion.
QuoteThose opposed had been arguing for two free lanes instead of one, something the majority criticized as unfeasible given its extra $100 million cost. While Transportation Authority staff made it clear that the toll option remains on the table, a steady stream of public officials again appeared before the board to criticize the toll option. "Tolling on top of taxing was never part of the deal," Fountain Valley Councilman John Collins said of Measure M2, Orange County's half-percent sales tax for transportation improvements. Others, including the Orange County Business Council, supported the toll lanes. ... But local chambers of commerce shot back, saying the countywide group doesn't represent them.
QuoteServing as a backdrop to the meeting was legislation being pursued by Assemblyman Allan Mansoor, R-Costa Mesa, that would block toll lanes on I-405 altogether.
QuoteIn their past recommendation of the toll lanes, Transportation Authority staff have cited pressure from Caltrans to comply with a new federal requirement to speed up traffic in carpool lanes. But board members have noted that there are other options to meet that mandate, such as increasing the carpool requirement to three or more occupants during peak hours.
Regards,
Andy
Quote from: andy3175 on December 30, 2013, 10:00:05 AM
http://blogs.ocweekly.com/navelgazing/2013/12/405_freeway_add_lane_no_toll.php
QuoteThe Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) board voted today to add a new lane in each direction of the 405 freeway from the 605 freeway to Euclid Street in Fountain Valley--but they would be free and not toll lanes. Lexus lanes had previously been proposed (to a chorus of boos) from the Los Angeles County line in Seal Beach to the 73 in Costa Mesa, which eventually changes from the Corona del Mar Freeway to the San Joaquin Hills toll road.
But the board meeting in Orange voted 12-4 to go not with toll lanes but with the freeway option, which would be paid for with $1.3 billion from the Measure M half-cent sales tax.
The timeline has an environmental impact report being completed by the end of next summer, construction beginning in 2015 and work done by 2020, OCTA spokesman Ted Nguyen tells City News Service.
The federal government threatened to withhold highway funds if something is not done to relieve congestion along that stretch of the 405, which is the busiest in the country.
Through the fall, there had been discussion among Orange County cities and governments about creating toll express lanes along this section of I-405 (from I-605 to Euclid Street). The segment of I-405 between I-605 and SR 22 has been recently under construction to improve connections with SR 22 and to increase capacity. A HOV lane already passes through this area, one in each direction. I had thought the busier section of I-405 was up by LAX, but the article suggests the busier section of I-405 is between I-605 and SR 73. I had not heard of the "federal government" (FHWA?) stating it would hold back highway funds.
Regards,
Andy
Federal law allows certain classes of vehicles to use HOV lanes without meeting occupancy requirements. These include tolled vehicles and low and zero-emission vehicles. States are required to continuously monitor performance of these HOV lanes, and the average speed in the HOV lanes cannot go below 45 mph during weekday peak-hour periods more than 10 percent of the time over a 180-day period. HOV lanes that don't meet this requirement are considered "degraded". This law was put in place in SAFETEA-LU.
MAP-21 kept these provisions in place. However it also added a requirement that "degraded" HOV lanes need to be brought back into compliance within 180 days or the State could face sanctions, which are defined as withholding funds or project approval. MAP-21 also listed some potential strategies for addressing degradation, which include prohibiting the exempt vehicles and raising occupancy requirements.
I've been dealing with this situation in California for much of the last year. It has proven very difficult for several reasons. First, the standard is quite stringent. Essentially if average speeds drop below 45 mph two times a month, the facility is degraded. This can happen easily due to incidents. About 50 percent of the HOV lanes in California fail to meet the performance standard, but when you dissect the numbers a bit more closely, the frequency of failure is low on most HOV lanes, and it appears incidents and other things are the main reason why. Secondly, while prohibiting ILEVs and hybrids would get the State out from under the federal requirements, the number of vehicles in the HOV lanes constitutes a very small percentage (on average about 2 to 4 percent), and so removing them will not solve the problem. We noted that degradation did not decrease after the single-occupant hybrids with yellow decals were prohibited starting July 1, 2011. In fact, degradation went up! In addition, the Brown Administration has made it a point to encourage usage of these types of vehicles and it supports programs to allow these vehicles to use HOV lanes. This was seen just recently when the Governor signed legislation that extended the sunset date on the State's two decal programs from 2015 to 2019. Increasing occupancy presents a challenge for us because it will result in underutilization of the lanes and could have substantial negative impacts on the rest of the freeway. If we were to raise occupancy, it's likely that we would probably convert the facility to a HOT lane to address those issues.
In response to the MAP-21 requirements, Caltrans has developed an action plan for addressing degradation. Many of the strategies in the action plan include stepping up enforcement, increasing freeway service patrols to quickly clear incidents. Small operational improvements are also proposed. Some of these degraded facilities will be converted to HOT lanes, which could also include addition of a second lane. However, increases in occupancy are not proposed except in a couple of instances, for the reasons I explained above. This action plan has been submitted to FHWA for approval. Based on some of the initial feedback received, it appears the plan may need to be modified as FHWA wants to see more solid evidence of the State taking action, and the plan, as it currently stands, does not contain enough of that sort of thing.
If anyone is interested in looking at California's HOV performance monitoring report and action plan, they are posted on the Caltrans Managed Lanes website at http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/traffops/systemops/hov/
http://www.coronadelmartoday.com/46261/home/speak-up-newport-to-discuss-405-toll-lanes-at-wednesday-meeting/
QuoteSpeak Up Newport will hold a meeting Wednesday [Nov 12 - already over] evening to discuss the 405 toll lanes ... The topic is "The 405 Toll Lanes: Why Should Newport Beach Care?" is part one of a two-part forum series about toll lanes in Orange County, the announcement said. "OCTA plans to widen the 405 Freeway with one regular lane in each direction, funded by sales tax revenue from Measure M," the announcement said. "Caltrans supports an alternate proposal. In addition to the OCTA regular lane, Caltrans would build a second new lane. The existing 405 Freeway carpool lane would combine with the newly constructed Caltrans lane, and the two lanes would operate together as toll lanes. The result would be one new regular lane and two new toll lanes in each direction. A group of 'Corridor Cities' along the route opposes the toll lanes and instead proposes two new free lanes–one regular lane and one carpool lane–to combine with the existing 405 Freeway carpool lane." CalTrans District Director Ryan Chamberlain and Bryan Starr from the Orange County Business Council will be attend to explain CalTrans' reasons for proposing the toll lanes, the announcement said, and Westminster City Councilwoman Diana Carey and Seal Beach Mayor Pro Tem Gary Miller, both 'Corridor Cities' representatives, will explain their opposition. ... The second part of the series will take place Wednesday Jan. 14 and is called "Refinancing the 73 Toll Road: Opportunities to Relieve Traffic Congestion in Newport Beach."
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/lanes-659682-toll-years.html
QuoteMotorists can expect years of freeway construction on a busy stretch of the I-405, with the aim of eventually easing gridlock, under a deal with Caltrans approved Monday by the Orange County Transportation Authority board.
Construction is expected to begin in early 2018 on a combination HOV-toll lane between the 73 and I-605 and a free lane between Euclid Street to I-605. The new lanes would run in both directions.
The estimated $1.7 billion, 16-mile project is expected to wrap up by 2022, the draft project schedule indicates.
The four-lane expansion, according to projections in one report, will cut 28 minutes from motorists' travel times in the free lanes from the 73 to I-605 by 2040.
Here's the public comment page for the I-405 expansion environmental impact report, which has public comment until May 4, 2015:
http://www.octa.net/Freeways-and-Streets/San-Diego-Freeway-(I-405)/I-405-Improvement-Project/Overview/
http://www.dot.ca.gov/dist12/DEA/405/index.php
QuoteI-405 is generally a north-south route with 24 miles in Orange County and 48 miles in Los Angeles County. I-405 is part of the National Highway System and is considered a bypass route to Interstate 5 (the Santa Ana/Golden State Freeway) providing intra-regional and inter-regional access between Orange and Los Angeles counties. I-405 also serves as a critical goods movement corridor connecting the San Diego and U.S./Mexico border region with the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles; and interconnectivity with the Los Angeles International Airport.
Within the project limits, I-405 connects with SR-73 at the southern end and with I-605 at the northern end, and for approximately 2 miles between Bolsa Chica Road and I-605, it overlaps with SR-22. Fifteen (15) local street interchanges and 3 freeway-to-freeway interchanges are within the limits of the project improvements. The north and south termini of the project, at the I-605 and SR-73 respectively, are locations where multiple freeways converge, generating congestion and causing delay. The termini have been logically chosen based on geography and transportation needs to ensure adequate response to transportation deficiencies at and around these points of intersection.
The northern terminus of the proposed project is at the interchange of I-405 and I-605. The proposed additional lanes on I-405 south of this interchange would terminate into and provide enhanced traffic service between SR-73 and SR-22 and I-605; and would also enhance lane continuity along I-405 and terminate new lanes into available lanes on these other freeways. The southern terminus of the proposed project is at the interchange of SR-73. The additional lanes provided on I-405 would terminate either at locations north of the SR-73 interchange where lanes are currently dropped/added, thereby removing the lane drop/add, or at SR-73, depending upon the alternative.
In addition to the No Build Alternative, three build alternatives are proposed: Alternative 1 — Add One GP Lane in Each Direction; Alternative 2 — Add Two GP Lanes in Each Direction; and Alternative 3 — Express Lanes 2 (Tolled) and Add One GP Lane in Each Direction. Alternative 3 has been identified as the Preferred Alternative (PA).
http://www.gazettes.com/news/orange-county-official-explains-expansion-project/article_790d54c4-e9d1-11e4-8ea1-8bf95047c441.html
QuoteAn Orange County Transportation Authority official said this week that an expansion of the 405 Freeway will include only one additional lane coming north into Long Beach, not two as reported last week.
Construction is expected to start next year on a $1.7 billion expansion of the freeway in Orange County. An Environmental Impact Report has been approved by the state Department of Transportation (Caltrans), which will oversee the project.
Caltrans has added a second toll/carpool lane in each direction as well as one general purpose lane in each direction. The OCTA board voted to recommend only the general purpose lane.
The additional four lanes will run between Costa Mesa (State Highway 73) and Westminster (the southern intersection of State Highway 22 with the 405), with one additional lane in each direction from that intersection to the Long Beach border and the 405-605-22 interchange. ...
Long Beach officials have expressed concern about the expansion because there is no concurrent expansion of the freeways in Los Angeles County. There is a fear vehicles will leave the freeways for city streets to avoid an anticipated bottleneck at the Long Beach border.
Quote from: andy3175 on April 29, 2015, 11:38:05 PM
http://www.gazettes.com/news/orange-county-official-explains-expansion-project/article_790d54c4-e9d1-11e4-8ea1-8bf95047c441.html
QuoteAn Orange County Transportation Authority official said this week that an expansion of the 405 Freeway will include only one additional lane coming north into Long Beach, not two as reported last week.
Construction is expected to start next year on a $1.7 billion expansion of the freeway in Orange County. An Environmental Impact Report has been approved by the state Department of Transportation (Caltrans), which will oversee the project.
Caltrans has added a second toll/carpool lane in each direction as well as one general purpose lane in each direction. The OCTA board voted to recommend only the general purpose lane.
The additional four lanes will run between Costa Mesa (State Highway 73) and Westminster (the southern intersection of State Highway 22 with the 405), with one additional lane in each direction from that intersection to the Long Beach border and the 405-605-22 interchange. ...
Long Beach officials have expressed concern about the expansion because there is no concurrent expansion of the freeways in Los Angeles County. There is a fear vehicles will leave the freeways for city streets to avoid an anticipated bottleneck at the Long Beach border.
I haven't had the chance to read through all of the documents, but I don't see this as being a problem. 405 N will go from 5 GP + 2 HOT to 7 GP + 2 HOT when intersecting with CA-22. Presumably, 2 GP and 1 HOT lane can be pushed onto NB I-605, and 1 GP lane can be pushed onto 7th Street so that the remaining 4 GP and 1 HOT can continue onto NB I-405. Yes, the SOV who are paying in the HOT lane will have to merge back to GP at the county line on both I-405 and I-605.
At the southern end, I imagine that those who are willing to pay tolls will just take CA-73 on their way to South OC and San Diego. So 1 GP lane and 1 HOT lane will each force an exit onto CA-73, leaving 4 GP + 1 HOV to continue on I-405 toward the El Toro Y.