Abstract
Many freeways in the United States contain median high occupancy vehicle (HOV) facilities. These facilities have been envisioned by some as reserved space for future rail guideway transit. This thesis examines the cost-effectiveness of converting a freeway median HOV lane into a guideway transit line. A full-cost model was developed to determine the cost effectiveness of converting an HOV lane into a rail transit line. The measure of cost-effectiveness used was the benefit-to-cost ratio. The full-cost model contained two cost categories (capital and operating costs) and two benefit categories (travel time and externality benefits). This fullcost model was adopted to conditions on the Katy Freeway in Houston Texas which served as a case study for this thesis. It was found that 29 percent of the person-miles of travel on the Katy Freeway under given conditions must utilize guideway transit for conversion to be cost-effective. It was also found that the model is sensitive to assumptions of the value of time, project soft costs (administrative, planning, and design costs) and the operating cost of the rail transit system. The model is also sensitive to assumptions regarding latent demand. It was concluded that conversion to rail guideway transit in the case study example is not cost-effective. It was reconunended that further investigation be taken into full-cost model components to allow more certain estimates of cost components. Also recommended was further consideration of the effects of latent demand on HOV to rail guideway transit conversions.
Best, Matthew Evans (1996). Cost-effectiveness of freeway median high occupancy vehicle (HOV) facility conversion to rail guideway transit. Master's thesis, Texas A&M University. Available electronically from
https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /ETD -TAMU -1996 -THESIS -B48.