Toll Roads Tackle Traffic

Tired of gridlock? Forget the "freeway" -- highway planners say you can pay for lanes where cars are actually moving. Some want the fees to fund mass transit, others want to build more roads.

SAN DIEGO -- Interstate 15 running north from San Diego is more than a ribbon of asphalt carrying up to 295,000 vehicles a day. It's a glimpse at the future -- a highway that combines traditionally free lanes with toll lanes to give drivers an option when the traffic gets bad. It is, at once, a solution for easing the worst traffic congestion, raising money for cash-starved roads and a big step toward bringing more timesaving, high-technology tools to daily driving.

And while it started in Southern California, here and in Orange County, the concept is coming to traffic jams in metropolitan areas all across the country. Minneapolis, Washington, D.C., Seattle and Denver are only a few of the places where similar projects are finished or close to completion. The concept is known variously as value pricing, managed lanes or HOT lanes, short for high occupancy tolls. ...

Source: Wired News