Express lane

Express lanes are, according to the Federal Highway Administration, "a lane or set of lanes physically separated or barriered from the general-purpose capacity provided within major roadway corridors. Express lane access is managed by limiting the number of entranced and exit points to the facility. Express lanes may be operated as reversible flow facilities or bi-directional facilities." [cite web|url=http://www.its.dot.gov/JPODOCS/REPTS_TE/13668_files/glossary.htm|title=A guide for HOT lane Development|work=Federal Highway Administration|month=March|year=2003|accessdate=2006-08-02]

Express lanes are different than local-express lane systems in that local-express lanes are generally limited to only having access to the general-purpose freeway lanes, while express lanes limit the number of interchanges they interact with, and have little, if any, access to the general-purpose lanes, save for the termini of the lanes. The interchanges that interact with reversible express lanes are specially constructed to accept traffic flow in either direction. Express lanes extend the traditional concept of reversible lanes because the express lanes are separated from other travel lanes, either by grade separation or by immovable barriers (like Jersey barriers).

Many high-speed electronic toll collection-only toll lanes are called express lanes.

Examples

In the United States

* I-5 express lanes in Seattle, Washington, from downtown Seattle, under the Washington State Convention Center to the Northgate neighborhood. This section has the only HOV lanes on the freeway between termini on the freeway northbound, and most of the way southbound.
* I-15 in northern San Diego, California
* I-15 from Salt Lake City to Orem, Utah; restricted to HOV-2 passenger cars, monthly toll-payers, buses, motorcycles, and vehicles with clean air license plates
* I-25 and US-36 in Denver, Colorado
* I-70 through St. Louis, Missouri
* I-90 from Seattle, Washington to Bellevue, Washington. Travel is limited to HOV traffic, and vehicles bound for Mercer Island at all times
* I-90 and I-94 (Kennedy Expressway) in Chicago, Illinois
* I-271 through the eastern suburbs of Cleveland, Ohio
* I-394 through Minneapolis, Minnesota, and its western suburbs
* I-395 through Washington, D.C., and its Virginia suburbs; center freeway reserved for HOV traffic during rush hour
* Interstate 64 in Norfolk, VA; center carriageway reserved for HOV-2 traffic during rush hour and open to all traffic in one direction outside rush hour; outside roadways have a speed limit of 55 mph while center roadway has a limit of 65 mph
* Lee Roy Selmon Crosstown Expressway from Brandon to Tampa, Florida

Outside the United States

* Warringah Expressway in Sydney, Australia
* Highway 401 in Toronto, Canada
* Highway 427 in Toronto, Canada (These are to separate local traffic and traffic heading downtown, so may be considered express lanes.)

References