Dynamic Value Pricing on I-15 in San Diego: Impact on Travel Time and Its Reliability

Abstract

Selected results are presented of the Traffic Study, one of 12 studies conducted by San Diego State University for the I-15 Congestion (Value) Pricing Project in San Diego, a 3-year demonstration. The focus is on the project's impact on travel times and their distribution on both the main lanes and the express lanes of I-15 for both ExpressPass and FasTrak phases of the project. Specifically addressed is the issue of reliability of on-time arrival enjoyed by the FasTrak subscribers and the high variability of travel times for the I-15 travelers who use only main lanes of I-15 for their commute. Examination of the ramp and freeway delays shows that in the worst-case scenario, FasTrak subscribers who use express lanes can save up to 20 min avoiding delay on the I-15 main lanes. This finding agrees with the drivers’ perceptions about their time savings when using FasTrak. Travel-time changes during the duration of the project also are examined. There were substantial year-to-year changes in travel times along the I-15 main lanes and the I-8 lanes used as control. The travel-time profile along the I-15 main lanes differed significantly from the profile along I-8, the control corridor, in both a.m. and p.m. peak periods.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Special Report 209: Highway Capacity Manual, 3rd ed. (1997 update). TRB, National Research Council, Washington, D.C., 1998.

Supernak

, Kaschade

, Steffey

, Behseta

, and Koesoemawiria

. I-15 Congestion Pricing Project, Monitoring and Evaluation Services, Phase I Traffic Study. San Diego State University, Calif., 1999. www.sandag.org/fastrak/pdfs/task3.1.1.pdf.

Supernak

, Kaschade

, Steffey

, Behseta

, and Suwara

. I-15 Congestion Pricing Project, Monitoring and Evaluation Services, Phase II Year Two Traffic Study. San Diego State University, Calif., 2000. www.sandag.org/fastrak/pdfs/traffic.pdf.

Supernak

, Kaschade

, Steffey

, and Kubiak

. I-15 Congestion Pricing Project, Monitoring and Evaluation Services, Phase II Year Three Traffic Study. San Diego State University, Calif., 2001. www.sandag.org/fastrak/pdfs/yr3_traffic.pdf.

Small

K. A.

, Noland

, Chu

, and Lewis

. NCHRP Report 431: Valuation of Travel-Time Savings and Predictability in Congested Conditions for Highway User-Cost Estimation. TRB, National Research Council, Washington, D.C., 1999.

Schweitzer

, Forkenbrock

D. J.

, Zhang

H. M.

, and Crum

M. R.

. Highway Performance and Time-Sensitive Industries. Public Policy Center, University of Iowa, Iowa City, 1998.

Litman

Transportation Cost and Benefit Analysis. Victoria Transport Policy Institute, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, 2002.

Golob

, Golob

, and Supernak

. I-15 Congestion Pricing Project, Monitoring and Evaluation Services, Phase II Year Three Attitudinal Panel Study. San Diego State University, Calif., 2001. www.sandag.org/fastrak/pdfs/yr3_att_pan.pdf.