As you drive down I-70 through Missouri and Illinois through St. Louis, Kansas City, and other cities along the way, if you think I-70 is too congested with Trucks and Tractor Trailers you’re not alone. That stretch of I-70, averages daily traffic for cars and trucks ranges from 45,000 to 250,000 vehicles. Average daily truck traffic ranges from 11,000 to more than 26,000. By 2035, the average daily traffic will increase to more than 100,000, including an average of 25,000 trucks.
Increasing safety for cars basically boils down to trying to separate as much as possible trucks from cars. Congestion, is a major issue for cars and trucks because cars can stop more quickly than trucks. The money it will take, however, to make something like that happen is enormous.
Here is a list of what some other states are doing to ease truck congestion on interstate highways:
• Florida: Banning big trucks from the far left lane of I-4 on a 60-mile stretch between Tampa and Orlando. Stretches of I-75 and I-95 elsewhere in the state have similar restrictions.
• Georgia: Considering truck-only toll lanes on parts of I-75 northwest of Atlanta and on a 20-mile stretch of the I-285 beltway that surrounds the city.
• Arizona, California, Texas and the Gulf Coast states: Using a grant to study segregating truck and automobile traffic on stretches of I-10.
The Federal Government is weighing private industry proposals to move some truck cargo to ships along the Atlantic Coast, potentially freeing up lanes on interstates. The study is one of six funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation to find ways to reduce congestion and improve freight delivery across the nation. A feasibility study typically is the beginning of a long process that can take years for a highway project to become a reality.
I doubt any of these projects will become reality soon because of the cost. We are more interested in reducing the budgets for highways and other traffic related projects then making major expansions, even if it is in the name of safety. I hope i am pleasantly surprised, but i doubt a truck only lane on Interstate 70 will become a reality any time soon.
