Several miles of new HOV lanes opened earlier this week in Chandler and the West Valley … just in time for the Monday morning commute!

ADOT opened the new stretches of High Occupancy Vehicle lanes along the Loop 202 Santan Freeway in Chandler and the Loop 101 Agua Fria Freeway in the Glendale and Peoria area.

The completion of the new eastbound Loop 202 carpool lane east of I-10 marks the end of an $84.7 million project to add 12 miles of HOV lanes in each direction between I-10 and Gilbert Road in Chandler . That project, which started in September 2010, included the addition of elevated HOV lane ramps that provide carpoolers with direct connections between Loop 202 and the Loop 101 Price Freeway as well as I-10.

Along the Loop 101, crews opened a 12-mile stretch of the new westbound and southbound HOV lane between 51st Avenue and Glendale Avenue. ADOT is adding 30 miles of new carpool lanes in each direction along Loop 101 between State Route 51 in north Phoenix and I-10 in the West Valley . Work on that $90 million project began in January of this year. Sections of the new lanes have been opened in stages as the project advances. The plan is to open another segment Monday morning. After this weekend, the entire stretch of HOV lane (heading west to south) from SR 51 to Thomas Road will be open. All the carpool lanes are scheduled to be open to traffic by next month (November).

If you live and drive the Loop 101 in the West and North Valley you probably noticed the first stretch of HOV lanes on the eastbound Loop 101 recently opened. These new lanes already have helped to ease congestion in the North Valley, especially during the morning commute.

You may have also noticed that the westbound HOV lanes appear to be done as well, but are not opened. ADOT has not decided to taunt you – these lanes aren’t open yet for a reason.

A little background on the project...

The Loop 101 HOV lane project will add 30 miles of HOV lanes along Loop 101 from I-10 to SR 51.

ADOT already has added HOV lanes to Loop 101 in the East Valley between SR 51 and Loop 202  during the past three years. The completion of final 30 miles in the West Valley will give drivers more than 60 miles of uninterrupted HOV access!

Why the westbound lanes aren't open yet...

When the first stretch of HOV lanes on the current project was opened it was because the new HOV lanes did not come to an end, but rather connected to the existing lanes east of SR 51. This enabled ADOT to open the first few miles of the new HOV lanes on the eastbound Loop 101.

So, although it appears as though the westbound Loop 101 HOV lanes between SR 51 and 7th Avenue (as well as other areas along the westbound Loop 101) will soon be ready to open, ADOT will not open these lanes until the rest of the project is completed.

We do not want to open a smaller stretch of HOV lanes that will simply come to an end and cause traffic to merge unnecessarily, just for the sake of opening lanes. We would rather hold off and open the lanes when they are completed so that traffic is not forced to merge where the smaller sections of HOV lanes end.

However, we have opened auxiliary lanes on both the east and westbound Loop 101 between Cave Creek Road and SR 51. These lanes help to improve the flow of traffic along this very busy section of the Loop 101 where traffic is merging either onto or from SR 51. Since opening, there is a noticeable difference along this section of the Loop 101.

The good news is this project is more than 80 percent complete. By November, all 30 miles of new HOV lanes will be open along the Loop 101 allowing motorists to enjoy a much easier ride in both the West and North Valley!

In less than a year, spectacular ramps and bridges have risen from bare ground in the southeast Valley. By this fall, they’ll link 12 miles of new high occupancy vehicle lanes on the Loop 202 (Santan Freeway) with Interstate 10 and the Loop 101 (Price Freeway) in Chandler -- see the project's progress in the slide show above.

On the other side of the Valley, crews are adding new HOV lanes - and improving three bridges - on the Loop 101 (Agua Fria Freeway) from I-10 near Avondale to I-17 in north Phoenix. In just six months, they have built and paved 18 miles of the 30-mile project and are eyeing completion by this fall.

Both of these projects are utilizing the “design-build” (D/B) method of delivery – and proving that D/B can yield big results in a relatively small amount of time. That’s why D/B is one of the “alternative delivery methods” that ADOT uses for freeway projects when doing so makes sense.

The D/B concept involves pairing a design team with a construction team to create one, synergistic entity that delivers a freeway project from beginning to end.

This differs from the more traditional “design-bid-build concept” where one firm designs a project that is then put out to bid and awarded to a construction company to build.

Contractors that bid on ADOT’s D/B projects must not only meet quality standards, but also demonstrate their capability to complete the project on time and on budget at a much faster and dynamic pace.

Because D/B projects are schedule-driven, they can make driving through the work zone a bit more challenging. The faster pace means doing more – and more complicated – work in a shorter amount of time. For motorists, it can mean numerous restrictions or detours while the project is underway.

The flip side? The same restrictions or detours occur, but are spread out over a longer period of time for a project that takes longer to complete and probably costs more.

The D/B method can save time and money by overlapping the design and construction phases. Other benefits include improved design efficiency through on-going constructability reviews and better management of the project schedule. Because the design firm and construction company typically form a joint venture to deliver the freeway project, ADOT also benefits from having a single point for contractual responsibility if challenges arise.

With so many benefits, why doesn’t ADOT use D/B for all of its projects? Simply put, not all freeway projects are good candidates. The best project candidates do not require significant right-of-way acquisition or extensive, complicated relocation of existing utilities. In addition, ADOT believes that D/B is most advantageous when transportation improvements are immediately needed to improve safety and reduce high traffic volume or chronic congestion.

So the next time you’re maneuvering through a sea of orange cones on the Loop 101 in Peoria or find yourself on a detour route because the Loop 202 is closed in Chandler, remember that ADOT is working to make your everyday commute safer and more efficient – and saving time and taxpayer dollars at the same time!

Crews are busy adding more than 80 lane miles of high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes to two Valley freeways – 30 miles in both directions on Loop 101 in the west Valley and 12 miles on east- and westbound Loop 202 in Chandler that will link directly to HOV lanes on the Loop 101 (Price Freeway) and Interstate 10.

The payoff for having these HOV lanes is significant. Not only do they help improve traffic flow and encourage carpooling, but they also expand transit opportunities (think express bus service). People who use them save time and money; and, we all enjoy the benefits of cleaner air thanks to fewer auto emissions.

But you’re probably asking yourself the same question we at ADOT are frequently asked: Why don’t we build the HOV lanes when we build the freeway?

It’s a good and fair question. To answer it, we’ll use an analogy that should hit home for just about anyone who’s ever purchased a house. We all dream about the add-ons we’d love to have from the get-go: the in-home theater, the furnished game room or the gourmet kitchen with stainless steel appliances. Most of us, though, don’t have the budget to get everything at once, so we start with what we can afford to meet our needs at the time, and save up or secure additional financing later for the improvements on our wish lists.

It’s quite similar when it comes to building our Valley freeways. Constructing them to 100-percent capacity all at once is usually not financially feasible. As a result, we build and improve freeways in phases, using the funding that is available when the project is scheduled to begin.

The funding comes from the voter-approved, 20-year extension of the half-cent sales tax (2006-2026). Revenue is programmed for freeway projects identified in the Maricopa Association of Government’s Regional Transportation Plan and is used for projects throughout the Maricopa County region to ensure that transportation needs in all parts of the Valley are met.

Back to those HOV lanes … we planned for their eventual construction very, very well. It’s no coincidence that we have ample space available down the center of the freeway mainlines. In fact, we plan and build freeways from the outside-in, so we have the land we need and the blueprint for design as soon as we get the thumbs up to begin the next phase of work. What appear to be dirt medians are precisely measured alignments for new lanes; even overpasses are built so additional lanes will fit beneath them 5, 10 even 20 years later.

Just like the homeowner who envisions next summer’s swimming pool on that barren plot of land in the backyard, we at ADOT are saving up – and planning ahead – for the safe and efficient traffic flow of tomorrow.