Evaluating HOV Lanes in the Dallas Area (7-4961-S)

While carpooling declined nationally by an average of 30 percent in the past two decades, recent research on Texas freeway corridors with mature interim high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes has shown an increase in carpooling of 100 percent or greater during the same period. An extensive system of permanent HOV lanes is planned for the Dallas-Fort Worth urbanized area. Until these permanent treatments can be implemented, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) are pursuing interim HOV lane projects that enhance public transportation and overall mobility. Currently, there are 54.2 miles of operational interim HOV lanes in the Dallas area, including a barrier-separated contraflow lane on IH-30 (Figure 1), buffer-separated concurrent flow lanes on IH-35E North and IH-635 (Figure 2), and a barrier-separated reversible flow lane on IH-35E South connected to a buffer-separated concurrent flow lane on US-67.