Evaluating Criteria for Adapting HOV Lanes to HOT Lanes: Development and Application of HOT START Software Tool (0-4898-1)

This report describes research sponsored by the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to develop a decision-support tool to aid in evaluating key issues related to converting a high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane to a high-occupancy/toll (HOT) lane. The tool includes three board categories of factors to consider, including facility considerations, performance considerations, and institutional considerations. Facility considerations, such as design, operations, and enforcement, which have been shown to be critical factors, can present insurmountable obstacles to the implementation of HOT lanes. Performance considerations and goals allow the user to estimate the likely levels of usage and person-movement, factors that always bear significantly on HOT lane development decisions. Institutional considerations are also addressed, as factors of interagency cooperation and legal limitations are historically important for HOV lane and HOT lane decisions. Finally, the research incorporates simple trade-off tools to allow TxDOT and local entities to assemble all relevant factors into an analysis to aid decision makers in evaluating the available options. The analysis tool was developed in Visual Basic.NET. The program is called the High-Occupancy/Toll STrategic Analysis Rating Tool (HOT START), and it is designed to be easily tailored to local needs. The report also provides an application of the tool to a hypothetical freeway. Many state departments of transportation (DOTs) are facing the difficult task of performing assessments of potential HOV lane to HOT lane conversions, and this report describes a practical tool that can assist with such analysis.