Tunnels: Mandatory STAY IN LANE States

[thenetwork]

Once I moved out to the Rocky Mountain region after living a good chunk of my life in the east, I was surprised on the number of states that did NOT require vehicles to stay in their current lane while traveling through tunnels with 2 or more lanes.

For example, all tunnels along I-70, including the Eisenhower/Johnson tunnels in Colorado have no lane changing restrictions within the tubes.  Obviously, tunnels in Colorado with a single lane in each direction within a single tube are usually double-yellow lined.

Yet in places like I-77 in Virginia, by law  there is no lane switching in their tunnels.

So what applicable states that have multi-lane tunnels allow lane changes, what states prohibit them, and what states (if any) allow lane changes on a case by base basis?

[kphoger]

Yet in places like I-77 in Virginia, by law  there is no lane switching in their tunnels.

Source?  I'm looking at both the Big Walker Mountain Tunnel and East River Mountain Tunnel on GSV, and the only lane use restriction signs I see are for trucks to use the right lane.  Nothing about changing lanes inside the tunnel.  And the lane stripe in each one is just a single white line, not a double white line.  I also don't see anything in Virginia state law that prohibits changing lanes inside a tunnel.

[thenetwork]

Yet in places like I-77 in Virginia, by law  there is no lane switching in their tunnels.

Source?  I'm looking at both the Big Walker Mountain Tunnel and East River Mountain Tunnel on GSV, and the only lane use restriction signs I see are for trucks to use the right lane.  Nothing about changing lanes inside the tunnel.  And the lane stripe in each one is just a single white line, not a double white line.  I also don't see anything in Virginia state law that prohibits changing lanes inside a tunnel.

Its been 20+ years since I was down that way.  Either my memory was wrong or they dropped the restriction somewhere along the way.  It seemed like most tunnels I traversed in the east had no lane changes back then.

[Ted$8roadFan]

IIRC, some tunnels near me technically don't allow lane changes (such as the Callahan and Sumner tunnels), at least judging by the solid white lines. Not that anyone who wants to change lanes does so anyway. The Tip O'Neill tunnel allows lane changes, though, which some drivers do too well.

[1995hoo]

It's not a state, but the District of Columbia allows changing lanes in tunnels, including the Third Street Tunnel on I-395. It can sometimes be a little nerve-wracking changing lanes in that one because it's not nearly as bright in there as the Street View image would tend to suggest, and a fair number of local drivers do not turn on their headlights in the tunnel (as can be seen in that same image with the black Honda to the left and what appears to be a Nissan sedan ahead of the Google car).

At the opposite extreme, New York has placed flex posts between the lanes in the Battery Tunnel and the Midtown Tunnel to try to stop illegal lane changes.

[Rothman]

Yet in places like I-77 in Virginia, by law  there is no lane switching in their tunnels.

Source?  I'm looking at both the Big Walker Mountain Tunnel and East River Mountain Tunnel on GSV, and the only lane use restriction signs I see are for trucks to use the right lane.  Nothing about changing lanes inside the tunnel.  And the lane stripe in each one is just a single white line, not a double white line.  I also don't see anything in Virginia state law that prohibits changing lanes inside a tunnel.

Meh.  Pretty sure that the I-77 Big Walker Tunnel had the white stripe/no passing marking when I went though there a couple of months ago on a trip to Burkes Garden.

[kphoger]

white stripe/no passing marking

A white stripe is not a "no passing marking".  That would require a double white stripe.

Chapter 3B — Pavement and Curb Markings

Section 3B.04 — White Lane Line Pavement Markings and Warrants

Standard:

20 — Where crossing the lane line markings is discouraged, the lane line markings shall consist of a normal or wide solid white line.

30 — Where crossing the lane line markings is prohibited, the lane line markings shall consist of a solid double white line

.

[SkyPesos]

So what applicable states that have multi-lane tunnels allow lane changes, what states prohibit them, and what states (if any) allow lane changes on a case by base basis?

The only Interstate highway tunnel in Ohio that I'm aware of (I-71 in Downtown Cincinnati) allows lane changing, as shown by the dashed lane markings.

In PA, both the Fort Pitt and Squirrel Hill tunnels on I-376, and all 4 tunnels on the Turnpike have double white lines and "Stay in lane" signs.

[TheCatalyst31]

The Kilbourn Tunnel in Milwaukee (I-43 ramps to Kilbourn Avenue) not only allows lane changes, it has a lane reduction within the on-ramp tunnel. The tunnels at the Mitchell Interchange allow lane changes too.

[Roadgeekteen]

In Massachusetts, you can switch lanes in the Central Artery tunnel (I-93) but not in the Ted Williams Tunnel (I-90).

[Great Lakes Roads]

Kentucky has two tunnels- I-265 and I-64 in Louisville, which both of them allows lane switching.

The Cumberland Gap Tunnel does not allow lane switching, even with a single solid white line.

[dgolub]

All of the tunnels in New York City prohibit lane changes.  It makes sense given how narrow they are.

[Brandon]

Illinois allows changing lanes within the few tunnels that they have such as I-355 under I-88, or Hubbard's Cave on the Kennedy Expressway (I-90/94).  If they didn't you'd never be able to change lanes on Lower Wacker Drive.

[RobbieL2415]

There is no statutory requirement in CT for drivers to stay in their lane in a tunnel or, more broadly, by the mere presence of a single solid white line.

ConnDOT regulations "strongly discourage" lane changes over single solid white lines. They also have never used double solid white lines, though.

There are "Stay In Lane" signs at each entrance to the West Rock Tunnel, when have the force of law.

[Bitmapped]

Yet in places like I-77 in Virginia, by law  there is no lane switching in their tunnels.

Source?  I'm looking at both the Big Walker Mountain Tunnel and East River Mountain Tunnel on GSV, and the only lane use restriction signs I see are for trucks to use the right lane.  Nothing about changing lanes inside the tunnel.  And the lane stripe in each one is just a single white line, not a double white line.  I also don't see anything in Virginia state law that prohibits changing lanes inside a tunnel.

Its been 20+ years since I was down that way.  Either my memory was wrong or they dropped the restriction somewhere along the way.  It seemed like most tunnels I traversed in the east had no lane changes back then.

The I-77 tunnels in Virginia were regular dashed lines until about 2010ish. They are now a single white line, which means lane changes are discouraged but not prohibited. The Hampton Roads tunnels also have a single white line, so lane charges are permitted but discouraged.

[kphoger]

The Cumberland Gap Tunnel does not allow lane switching, even with a single solid white line.

Source?  I don't see any regulatory signs in GSV at that location.  Just a VMS above the entrance, which sounds to me like more of a suggestion than a law.

[hbelkins]

Kentucky has two tunnels- I-265 and I-64 in Louisville, which both of them allows lane switching.

The Cumberland Gap Tunnel does not allow lane switching, even with a single solid white line.

And invariably, I'll get caught in the slowest of the two lanes.

[doorknob60]

Oddly enough (considering the terrain), I don't think there are any highway tunnels in Idaho.

In Oregon, there are generally not any restrictions against lane changes. The notable exception is Eastbound US-26 approaching I-405. The lane restrictions are for traffic control reasons approaching the interchange immediately following the tunnel (which is a massive traffic bottleneck, backed up all day every day). Westbound has no restrictions.

[ElishaGOtis]

Some states that "prohibit" lane changing I've noticed incorrectly use a single solid white line, especially VA and WV.

On a different note, I've noticed that both of the multi lane underwater road tunnels in Florida prohibit lane changing (US-1 and SR-887). The ones that go under airport runways that are multi-lane do not prohibit lane changing (if you even consider them tunnels, which FDOT apparently does at FLL but not MCO or TPA). These thankfully are striped correctly.