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HOV lanes divide freeways - and San Antonio drivers

New HOV lanes in San Antonio will soon separate carpool and mass transit from vehicles with only a driver, but this divide extends beyond the freeway.

SAN ANTONIO — New HOV lanes in San Antonio will soon separate carpool and mass transit from vehicles with only a driver, but this divide extends beyond the freeway.

Laura Lopez of TxDOT is hoping to make everyone's commute a little easier with the new lanes. She knows more and more people are calling San Antonio "home."

"It's a growing city," said Lopez. "People travel from other parts outside of San Antonio, so it's definitely much needed."

TxDOT's two new HOV lanes will affect the northern section of U.S. 281 and I-10. The project broke ground last year.

U.S. 281 will expand to six lanes, plus an HOV lane. I-10 will have eight lanes, which include the HOV lane. Lopez says the addition will help with congestion on the freeway.

"We can travel more. We can have more lanes so we can get to the destination sooner," she explained.

But when all lanes aren't created equal, problems can arise, point out nay-sayers.

Terri Hall of Texans for Toll-Free Highways says many drivers she has spoken with are not excited about the change.

"They hate them. They see that there are very few cars in those lanes, while they're stuck in the general purpose lanes, and it creates resentment," Hall explained.

Hall has spent 14 years advocating against, what she calls, "dedicated" or "restricted" lanes. She says they don't work, and cites cities like Houston and Dallas as proof.

"They have some of the highest congestion rates in the state," she said.

Hall explains that not enough drivers can utilize the selective lanes, which prevents them from benefiting the general public.

"When 1-3 percent of the population is all that carpools, and less than that take the bus, it's not convenient," Hall said. "It's not efficient."

She added that the lanes can be confusing to navigate, pointing out that some drivers pass up the quicker transit because they struggle to understand the interchanges on the freeway.

San Antonio will have to wait a little while to see for themselves how these lanes will affect their morning commute. Construction on U.S. 281 could wrap up as soon as next year, but I-10 construction will not be complete until 2021.

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