Uses of dynamic tolling net revenues for corridor investments

Dynamic tolling, whereby tolls are frequently adjusted to manage demand and limit congestion on a toll road, is a rapidly spreading concept in the United States, with significant increases in dynamically tolled mileage in recent years. For corridors where expanding mobility options and creating a new reliable choice for travelers is the driving reason for the construction of express lanes, the question of how to spend toll revenues left over after operations, maintenance, and debt service presents a rare and wonderful conundrum for the operating agency. Allocating these net revenues for progressive purposes, whether for the promotion of transit, or for the improvement of competing routes or modes, can do much good for improving public acceptance of new express lanes. Furthermore, the equity-focused allocation of net revenues can result in a more broadly balanced distribution of the benefits generated by the express lanes. This paper discusses the choices made for the spending of net revenues for the three corridors where these allocations were made in a progressive manner – toward the promotion of transit or broader multi-modal corridor mobility. These corridors are in the Washington, DC, Minneapolis, and Los Angeles metro areas. While the sums granted are modest in the big picture of spending on mobility, most projects funded through these net revenue schemes were previously unfunded, making it clear that the net revenues generated, and by extension the new tolling schemes, are improving mobility in their respective corridors for all travelers, and not only for users of the express lanes.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper was sponsored by TRB committee ABE25 Standing Committee on Congestion Pricing.
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  ,    
• Authors:
  • Debreczeni, Gabor
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Board 98th Annual Meeting
  • Location: Washington DC, United States
  • Date: 2019-1-13 to 2019-1-17
• Date: 2019

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: References; Tables;
• Pagination: 12p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Asset management; Equity; Express lanes; Financing; Investments; Mobility; Public transit; Revenues; Transportation corridors; Variable tolls
• Geographic Terms: Los Angeles (California); Minneapolis (Minnesota); Washington (District of Columbia)
• Subject Areas: Finance; Highways; Policy; Public Transportation;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01697955
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 19-03561
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Mar 1 2019 3:51PM