HomeMy WebLinkAboutIR 8660INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 8660
To the Mayor and Members of the City Council February 1, 2005
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SUBJECT: Truck Lane Pilot Project
The purpose of this report is to respond to the Mayor's request for a status update on
the plan to create lane restrictions for trucks with 3 or more axles along IH 30 in Tarrant
County and along IH 20 in Dallas County. The limits of the IH 30 project are West Loop
820 to the Dallas/Tarrant County Line while the IH 20 project stretches from the
Dallas/Tarrant County Line to the IH 635/11-130 interchange in Mesquite (please see
attached map). The North Central Texas Council of Governments ( NCTCOG) had
planned these Demonstration Corridor Projects for implementation by the end of 2004.
However, a delay of 6 months has occurred recently as NCTCOG continues to conduct
further study due to staff concerns. These concerns include:
1. The effect of trucks obstructing merging or exiting traffic if trucks are
(ill's restricted to the outside lanes
2. The need for regional coordination to avoid driver confusion
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3. The amount of enforcement to achieve desired results
4. The potential applicability of other truck strategies
NCTCOG is now planning to have these projects in place by the end of summer 2005.
There currently are two truck lane demonstration corridor projects in operation within the
State of Texas: One along IH 10 in the Houston area and the other along IH 35 in
Williamson County just north of Austin. Both of these projects prohibit trucks with three
or more axles from the inside (left) lane. In late 2001, the Texas Transportation Institute
completed an evaluation of the IH 10 facility in Houston and found a 68% reduction in
accidents. They attributed this success to a high compliance rate among trucks within
the restricted zone in addition to a more active law enforcement presence provided by
the Houston Police Department's truck enforcement unit.
ISSUED BY THE C[TY MANAGER FORT WORTH, TEXAS
INFORMAL REPORT TO CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS No. 86o
To the Mayor and Members of the City Council February 1, 2005
Page 2 of 2
SUBJECT: Truck Lane Pilot Project
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NCTCOG has set aside $800,000 to cover the costs of developing a truck plan for North
Texas, and they are moving along with their current work scope. Near term milestones
for implementation include:
February 2005: Formation of Project Coordination Committee
March 2005: NCTCOG issuance of RFP for consultant assistance
May 2005: Executive Board approval of consultant selection
June 2005: Implementation and evaluation of four different lane restriction
scenarios, which include:
1. No restrictions with standard enforcement (Existing Conditions)
2. No restrictions with enhanced enforcement
3. Truck lane restrictions with standard enforcement
4. Truck lane restrictions with enhanced enforcement
1
Charles R. Boswell
City Manager
Attachment
ISSUED BY THE CITY MANAGER
FORT WORTH, TEXAS
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