I-15 CONGESTION PRICING DEMONSTRATION PROJECT

The concept of using road pricing to optimize utilization of existing and future freeway capacity is gaining increased interest throughout the United States transportation community. In part, influenced by the success of the State Route 91 Express Lane project in Orange County, California, a number of agencies are now considering use of the High Occupancy Toll Concept, whereby non-High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) traffic would be allowed to use lanes for some type of toll or user fee. The Interstate 15(I-15) Congestion Pricing Project is intended as a demonstration of this concept, making use of an existing controlled access reversible HOV lane in the San Diego region. The project is currently in operation, under the coordination of the San Diego Association of Governments. To date, the project has enjoyed considerable public acceptance and success, and is generating revenues which will be used for transit service improvements and other enhancements to overall corridor operations, such as HOV facility and service improvements. This paper provides an overview of the demonstration project, including a summary of experience and a look at expected operational characteristics of the full implementation condition. The project is providing real-world insights into both public acceptability and motorist behavioral characteristics of HOV-buy in projects, and may have implications on similar proposals in various other urban areas throughout the United States.