Nation's longest continuous express lane?

[Kniwt]

In a story today about the expansion of I-15 to 12 lanes in metro south Salt Lake City, the Salt Lake Tribune makes the claim that, at 72 miles, this is now the nation's longest stretch of uninterrupted express lanes:

http://www.sltrib.com/news/4439281-155/utah-targets-1-of-every-5

Gleason noted that with completion of a road-widening project at the Point of the Mountain – which had temporarily closed express lanes – I-15 now has 72 miles of continuous express lanes from Spanish Fork to Layton, the longest such stretch in the nation.

True? Almost true? Pants on fire?

[plain]

Just might be... how long are the ones on I-95 in south Florida?

[noelbotevera]

11 miles...I'm still collecting data.

According to some really lackluster searches, Highway 401 has the second longest, at 31.3 miles for Canada at least....

[US 81]

Dang, I thought Houston's 20-mile HOT/HOV lanes were long...

[hotdogPi]

According to some really lackluster searches, Highway 401 has the second longest, at 31.3 miles.

"in the nation"

Did the US annex Canada?

[1995hoo]

The reversible carriageway on I-95/395 in Virginia is "only" about 37 miles (I'm estimating–it's about 27 miles long to the south of the Beltway and about another 10 inside the Beltway).

[cpzilliacus]

The reversible carriageway on I-95/395 in Virginia is "only" about 37 miles (I'm estimating–it's about 27 miles long to the south of the Beltway and about another 10 inside the Beltway).

I measure  about 35 miles from the approximate entrance to the managed lanes North of Va. 610 in Stafford County and north to the end of the managed lanes at South Eads Street in Arlington County near the Pentagon.

If we follow the barrier-separated lanes into the District of Columbia to their real terminus on I-395 approaching the Case Bridge, then the distance is about 36.5 miles.

[noelbotevera]

According to some really lackluster searches, Highway 401 has the second longest, at 31.3 miles.

"in the nation"

Did the US annex Canada?

Whoops. Fixed.

[Jmiles32]

The reversible carriageway on I-95/395 in Virginia is "only" about 37 miles (I'm estimating–it's about 27 miles long to the south of the Beltway and about another 10 inside the Beltway).

I measure  about 35 miles from the approximate entrance to the managed lanes northbound to their end of the managed lanes at South Eads Street in Arlington County near the Pentagon.

If we follow the barrier-separated lanes into the District of Columbia to their real terminus on I-395 approaching the Case Bridge, then the distance is about 36.5 miles.

Don't forgot Virginia plans to extend those lanes at least another 10 miles or so down I-95 to Fredericksburg. By 2020 it could be 46.5 miles or possibly longer.

[UCFKnights]

11 miles...I'm still collecting data.

I believe phase 2 opened now, so its up to 21 miles. The next phase is under construction I believe, with the plan to extend them another 30 miles, so when all is done it will be a total of about 50 miles, assuming additional phases aren't developed by the time they finish the 50 miles (which I would guess they will to extend to all the way through Palm Beach County)

[Rothman]

Makes me wonder if the lanes in Utah are used well.  My experience isn't representative, but whenever I've been on I-15, the express lanes are nearly empty.  Are they only well-used during rush hour, I wonder?

[1995hoo]

The reversible carriageway on I-95/395 in Virginia is "only" about 37 miles (I'm estimating–it's about 27 miles long to the south of the Beltway and about another 10 inside the Beltway).

I measure  about 35 miles from the approximate entrance to the managed lanes North of Va. 610 in Stafford County and north to the end of the managed lanes at South Eads Street in Arlington County near the Pentagon.

If we follow the barrier-separated lanes into the District of Columbia to their real terminus on I-395 approaching the Case Bridge, then the distance is about 36.5 miles.

Either way, "about 37 miles" is reasonably accurate, then!

[Brandon]

In a story today about the expansion of I-15 to 12 lanes in metro south Salt Lake City, the Salt Lake Tribune makes the claim that, at 72 miles, this is now the nation's longest stretch of uninterrupted express lanes:

http://www.sltrib.com/news/4439281-155/utah-targets-1-of-every-5

Gleason noted that with completion of a road-widening project at the Point of the Mountain – which had temporarily closed express lanes – I-15 now has 72 miles of continuous express lanes from Spanish Fork to Layton, the longest such stretch in the nation.

True? Almost true? Pants on fire?

How the hell are these express lanes?  They are divided only by paint from the rest of the lanes.  It's merely a HOV lane on a normal freeway.  Express lanes look like this:

Dan Ryan Expressway
Jeffries Freeway
Ontario 401

With a full division between local and express lanes separated by a barrier (concrete or guardrail) of some kind.

[1995hoo]

The pictures show an HO/T lane sign. The FHWA's current guidelines consider that an "express lane." They evidently now want the term "express lane" reserved for managed lanes and not used for lanes that simply have fewer exits and cater to longer-distance traffic (thus, on the Beltway here over the Wilson Bridge, the signs say "Local" and "Thru" instead of the more conventional "Local" and "Express").

The reversible HOV lanes on I-95 and I-395 here were long known as the "express lanes" such that WTOP's afternoon traffic reporter, Bob Marbourg, refuses to use that term in the way the FHWA wants when he mentions the HO/T lanes. He instead refers to "the E-ZPass lanes."

[UCFKnights]

In a story today about the expansion of I-15 to 12 lanes in metro south Salt Lake City, the Salt Lake Tribune makes the claim that, at 72 miles, this is now the nation's longest stretch of uninterrupted express lanes:

http://www.sltrib.com/news/4439281-155/utah-targets-1-of-every-5

Gleason noted that with completion of a road-widening project at the Point of the Mountain – which had temporarily closed express lanes – I-15 now has 72 miles of continuous express lanes from Spanish Fork to Layton, the longest such stretch in the nation.

True? Almost true? Pants on fire?

How the hell are these express lanes?  They are divided only by paint from the rest of the lanes.  It's merely a HOV lane on a normal freeway.  Express lanes look like this:

Dan Ryan Expressway
Jeffries Freeway
Ontario 401

With a full division between local and express lanes separated by a barrier (concrete or guardrail) of some kind.

So does South Florida's I-95 express with the plastic poles between the lanes that people constantly drive over count?
https://www.google.com/maps/@25.9435873,-80.1872739,3a,75y,34.23h,69.16t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sWntD3Z974Vi9x7FRowaIZQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!6m1!1e1

[bzakharin]

The pictures show an HO/T lane sign. The FHWA's current guidelines consider that an "express lane." They evidently now want the term "express lane" reserved for managed lanes and not used for lanes that simply have fewer exits and cater to longer-distance traffic (thus, on the Beltway here over the Wilson Bridge, the signs say "Local" and "Thru" instead of the more conventional "Local" and "Express").

The reversible HOV lanes on I-95 and I-395 here were long known as the "express lanes" such that WTOP's afternoon traffic reporter, Bob Marbourg, refuses to use that term in the way the FHWA wants when he mentions the HO/T lanes. He instead refers to "the E-ZPass lanes."

Good luck on that. Local and express have been paired for way too long. Think of trains and buses too. There is already confusion with express toll lanes (the one where everyone pays a toll, but express can do so at speed) vs tolled express lanes (where only the express lane pays a toll).

[Alex]

Wondered the same thing when I saw how far south they extended in July.

https://twitter.com/AARoads/status/749697440379351040?s=09

[Bruce]

If Seattle didn't break its HOV lanes at reversible lanes (which causes major backups...thanks 60s designers), it would probably have a candidate for longest continuous HOV lane, on Interstate 5 between Everett and Tacoma. Once a project in Tacoma is complete, it would be 62 miles long.

[NE2]

This may help: http://product.itoworld.com/map/144?fullscreen=true