Thursday, April 24, 2008

YouTube Video Shows How Dedicated Truck Lanes Could Work

JEFFERSON CITY – Separating trucks from cars on Interstate 70 sounds like a pretty good idea. But how would it work? A new video posted on YouTube explains what truck-only lanes could look like and how they might operate. You can find it at http://www.youtube.com/modotvideo.

"When we talk about dedicated truck lanes, we’re often asked how the concept works, especially how vehicles get on and off the highway," Missouri Department of Transportation Director Pete Rahn said. "Because this is a new concept, it’s hard to visualize. The video helps people understand possible options."

MoDOT is studying truck-only lanes as a way to improve safety and reduce congestion during a future reconstruction and expansion of I-70. As truck traffic continues to increase, Missourians have asked MoDOT to consider separating cars and trucks on the interstate. New technologies have emerged that make that separation more feasible.

The study is also being undertaken because of Missouri's key role in the nationally designated "Corridors of the Future" program. By conducting this study now, MoDOT will be positioned to move quickly to address I-70's challenges - either by adding more general-use lanes or by building truck-only lanes - when design and construction funding becomes available. No funding is currently available for this project.

"YouTube helps us explain our work in a visual way," Rahn said. "People go to YouTube to see interesting videos, and we’re doing some very interesting things we want to show them."

Other MoDOT videos on YouTube show dramatic footage of the Route 19 Missouri River Bridge demolition, guard cable crash tests and an aerial view of ongoing construction of the new Interstate 64 in St. Louis. Another helps viewers understand the concept of a shared four-lane highway – a highway with additional passing lanes to ease congestion and improve safety.

12 comments:

Brenda said...

Dedicated truck lanes would be beneficial in saving lives & reducing accidents. I'm sure the truck drivers would be glad to have their own lanes & not have to put up with cars. I recently saw a car (going less than the posted speed) pull in front of a tanker. It was a near miss. I'm glad the tanker driver was alert. Cars pulling in front of cars & trucks happens quite often at 70 & First Capital Westbound. The 2 right lanes are for right turns but they are not clearly marked. Arrows painted on the surface of Hwy 70 would help. Drivers don't realize the inside right turn lane is a right turn lane until too late, then they just pull over to the left in front of oncoming traffic. Painting arrows on the hwy now would be proactive instead of waiting for a tragic accident to take place and then taking some action.

cleeland said...

Nice, dumb idea. Separate truck lanes. This could only emanate from a department of transportation that, by all appearances, considers its mission to be isolated to only addressing the "needs" of motor vehicles rather than ALL transportation needs such as rail, light rail, etc.

Rather than segregating road users, why not deal with the real issues?

Anonymous said...

It looks like a very viable solution, although the obstacle I foresee is cost. In my opinion, dedicated truck lanes would justify it being a toll road, which in turn would offset the cost.

Anonymous said...

Other states addressed this issue years ago. Restricting truck traffic to certain lanes is only a first step in many to make our roads safer. Speed limits for trucks also need to be reduced, Jake brakes and their noise outlawed, and law enforcemnet needs better training.

MoDOT is years behind other states and it shows.

Anonymous said...

Good idea, but poor way to try and fund it. According to Senator Stoffer he is trying to put a .01 sales tax state wide to do this project on I-44 and I-70. When did the wake up call happen that the roads need to be fixed.

Anonymous said...

MODOT references Just In Time in the video, which is a lean manufacturing process. If they really understand Lean Processing, they would know that providing a solution that encourages the problem is not the way to go. The problem, as we all know, is the rising fuel prices and uncontrollable oil dependence. MODOT should have implemented alternative traffic solutions by 2030. 8 LANES OF INTERSTATE ... come on guys... think outside the box!

Anonymous said...

MODOT references Just In Time in the video, which is a lean manufacturing process. If they really understand Lean Processing, they would know that providing a solution that encourages the problem is not the way to go. The problem, as we all know, is the rising fuel prices and uncontrollable oil dependence. MODOT should have implemented alternative traffic solutions by 2030. 8 LANES OF INTERSTATE ... come on guys... think outside the box!

Anonymous said...

Before you blow our tax dollars, don't forget you still have lots to do in STL. I-64 is shut down, and 70 improvements are always 10 years behind the need. MODOT start thinking outside the box: commuter lanes past Wentzville on 70 and 64, and light rail systems. Your metropolitan areas is your tax revenue, don't forget it!

Anonymous said...

Just remember...MoDOT CANT do any improvements or expansion to any mode of transportation without funding. And in a matter of two years the federal and state funding goes kaput. They are cash-strapped right now, trust me I work at MoDOT.

The general public has NO idea how much the various items that go into a roadway/railway/etc cost.

And lastly...thank our wonderful government (state and fed) for the great idea to suspend the gas tax. Way to cut funding for maintenance and construction even more!

Anonymous said...

There wouldn't be an issue if they could just put it on RAIL and then ship local from there. Looks like there needs to be more new RAIL (Train Tracks) built which would also help AMTRACK which would keep the number of cars AND trucks down. No more lanes. Just do the additional RAIL. MY .02

Anonymous said...

This is one of the most idiotic pieces of highway planning I've ever seen. It's like we found people who've never seen a car before to come up with the design.

This concept, as presented, completely destroys the idea of Slower Traffic Keep Right. You're asking larger, heavier, clumsier vehicles to cross faster traffic to get to the special "truck lanes". Then, they have to somehow cross all that faster traffic to get back to the exit again, without causing an accident. It boggles my mind.

If we must have slip ramps between carriageways, the inner lanes should be for cars only, with truck, slower vehicles, and vehicles about to enter and exit on the outside lanes. This preserves the Slower Traffic Keep Right idea, particularly when the inner lanes are given higher speed limits.

Or, scrap the slip ramp idea altogether and keep cars and trucks
separated throughout, similar to the plans for the Trans-Texas
Corridor. The only downside - this is prohibitively expensive to do.

A number of urban and suburban freeways in other states utilize a similar 4 carriageway arrangement, but either trucks are kept out of the center carriageways, or it's set up as a Express/Local arrangement, often with the center lanes having a higher speed limit to encourage their use by cars.

It's obvious the people behind this design have never actually tried this design out with anything more than slight traffic levels. If they had, the problems inherent with this design would become self-evident.

Anonymous said...

For everyone who gets it that it is important to keep right there is a song called Keep Right.
The video is on youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=McJ4Yy5ZNeU