Highway 1 High Occupancy Vehicle
(HOV) Lanes Project

Project Description

The Highway 1 HOV Lane Project proposes to add new lanes, one in each direction, from San Andreas/Larkin Valley Road to Morrissey Boulevard. The new lanes would be restricted to vehicles carrying two or more people, including buses and emergency vehicles, during designated times of the day, usually during peak travel periods. Auxiliary* lanes would also be constructed along the corridor, where possible, to extend the weaving and merging distances for motorists entering or exiting the freeway. A complete description of project alternatives under study also includes 3 bike/pedestrian overcrossings, ramp metering and other operational elements.

*An auxiliary lane connects an adjacent highway on-ramp with the next highway off-ramp thereby extending the weaving and merging distance between the ramps and improving traffic flow and safety on the highway. An auxiliary lane is not designed for use by through traffic, but to provide greater separation between vehicles entering and exiting the freeway from mainline traffic.

Background

Beginning in 1986 the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission (RTC), working with Caltrans and the Federal Highway Administration, conducted a series of studies to identify an appropriate response to the growing congestion problem on
Highway 1. These studies included:

  • Feasibility Study for Highway Occupancy Vehicle Lanes (HOV) on Highway 1 — 1988
  • Major Transportation Investment Study (MTIS) – 1999
  • Toll Lane Feasibility Study- 2002
  • Caltrans’ Project Study Report – 2002

In late 2002, the RTC began work on the preliminary design/environmental analysis to widen the highway with the addition of high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes in each direction. The purpose of this project is to promote the use of alternative travel modes, through design and operational elements of the project. Under congested conditions, the availability of HOV lanes encourage carpooling, van pooling, and the creation and use of express-bus service. The goal is to promote the use of alternative transportation modes to increase mobility, reduce congestion, and improve safety on the corridor.

Environmental Analysis

In June 2003, work began with Caltrans and the Federal Highway Administration on the preparation of an Environmental Impact Report and Environmental Assessment (EIR/EA) for the Highway 1 High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) Lane Project.

To kick off the environmental review process, the Commission, in cooperation with Caltrans and the Federal Highway Administration, held two community meetings in April 2004 to help define the range of alternatives to be studied and collect information on issues of community concern. A Summary Report-2004 was prepared to document the comments received from the public.

Detailed project design and environmental data is in development and will be released as draft environmental documents (DED) in the Winter of 2012 .

Sustainable Transportation Planning

Consistent with the community’s environmental values, the RTC recently partnered with the North American Sustainable Transportation Council to develop a Sustainable Transportation Analysis and Ratings System (STARS) as a pilot application to the Highway 1 HOV Lane Project. STARS is modeled after the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) system for green building construction, and looks at total life cycle performance, is mode neutral, and is performance based.

In January 2011, the RTC authorized conducting a project level assessment of the HOV Lane project using the 12 credits in the STARS Pilot Project Application Manual . This evaluation will be going on as the Project Development Team is finalizing work on the project’s draft environmental document (DED). Recommendations coming out the STARS evaluation related to the planning, design, and operation of the HOV Lane project will be considered along with other comments received on the DED.

Project Funding

Funding is not secured to advance the project beyond the current environmental study.  The 2010 Regional Transportation Plan assumes adoption of a transportation sales tax measure to provide a significant amount of the funding needed to advance this project into the next development phase – final design, right-of-way, and construction.

The draft environmental document (DED) will include a Project Implementation Plan outlining potential development  tiers based on alternate funding scenarios. The preferred project may be built in sections each having independent utility and providing some relief to traffic congestion on Highway1.

public meeting

Additional Project Information

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For prior studies and project funding efforts related to the Highway 1 corridor please contact us.


RTC Contact

Kim Shultz
Senior Transportation Planner

(831) 460-3200