Additional Road Lanes

General Description:

Additional lanes increase the capacity of the facility.  They may or may not be added to both travel directions depending on traffic patterns.  There are many different ways of expanding capacity besides creating new infrastructure including Shoulder as a Travel Lane, Reversible Lanes, New Roadways/Routes and One-Way Routes.

Effects of Solution:

¨ Increase Passenger Throughput

þ Increase Roadway Capacity (More vehicles can use the facility)

¨ Manage System Efficiency

¨ Reduce Local Demand

Examples of Implementation:

No information available at the time of publication.

Cost/Financial Information:

Source: A Toolbox for Alleviating Traffic Congestion and Enhancing Mobility, Institute of Transportation Engineers.  (Cost/financial information is estimated, and will vary based on size and scope of project, number of units, etc.)

Addition/Modification of:		Capital Cost
	Principal Arterial Lane	$0.5-1 mil/lane-mile
	Freeway Lane	$2-4 mil/lane-mile
	Using Shoulder as Lane	$.5-1.5 mil/lane-mile

Adding lanes to an existing facility is not as costly as creating new roadway because right-of-way does not need to be secured as well as other construction costs that may be avoided.  It is possible, in certain circumstances, to use a wide shoulder as a travel lane.  There are safety implications that must be addressed, but it is a relatively inexpensive way to get additional capacity.  Please see the Using the Shoulder as a Travel Lane fact sheet for more information.

Additional Resources:

A Toolbox for Alleviating Traffic Congestion and Enhancing Mobility, available for order at: http://www.ite.org/bookstore/index.asp

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