Contraflow lane reversal
This article needs additional citations for verification. (August 2008) |
Contraflow lane reversal is the altering of the normal flow of traffic, typically on a
Usually, the term is used to refer to reversal of lanes which are normally configured for travel in one direction; routinely changing the configuration of reversible lanes (such as during rush hour) is not normally considered contraflow lane reversal.[1]
Disambiguation
There are similar setups with slightly different usages, although the terms may be commonly used interchangeably.
Contraflow Lane: Typically used to refer to a bus lane running against a one-way street through the opposite direction
Contraflow Lane Reversal: Typically used to refer to a temporary setup of a lane running opposite to normal during special times, such as emergency evacuations, sports tournaments, or road construction/repairs.
Reversible Lane: Typically used to refer to a lane specifically designed to facilitate different directional usage regularly, with changes sometimes as frequent as twice a day.
Emergency evacuation
In an emergency evacuation, contraflow lane reversal roughly doubles the number of lanes available for evacuation traffic. Crossover sections are used to move outgoing traffic to these lanes. All incoming traffic is blocked until the end of the evacuation.
Contraflow lane reversal is usually done on freeways and other controlled-access roadways; however, some examples listed below (particularly in
Generally, a significant number of police officers or other officials are needed to manually direct traffic during a lane reversal (especially at interchanges, where ramp traffic in the wrong direction must intersect with other roadways that are operating normally).
Hurricane evacuation
From the 1990s, many states in the
Most evacuation plans involve only a single state; however, the states of Louisiana and Mississippi have developed coordinated plans to evacuate the New Orleans metropolitan area by using Interstate 55 and Interstate 59.
Current contraflow evacuation plans exist for:
- Georgia
- Louisiana
- Lafayette, via I-49
- Lake Charles, via I-10 and I-210[5]
- New Orleans metropolitan area, via I-10, I-12, I-55, I-59, and the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway[6][7]
- Maryland
- Ocean City, via US 50 and Maryland Route 90[8][9]
- Massachusetts
- Mississippi
- Mississippi Gulf Coast, via I-59 and US-49[11]
- New Orleans metropolitan area, via I-55
- New Jersey
- South Carolina[12]
- U.S. 21
- Charleston, via I-26
- U.S. 17
- The U.S. 501
- U.S. 278
- Texas[13]
- Corpus Christi, via I-37
- U.S. 290
- Freeport, Surfside Beach, and Lake Jackson via SH 288 and SH 36.
- Falfurrias
- Virginia
- The Hampton Roads area, via I-64[14]
Florida had contraflow evacuation plans in place until 2017. The plans were abandoned for emergency shoulder use.[15]
Highway reconstruction
When roads are undergoing construction amid heavy traffic, one lane of traffic may be blocked and another lane reversed.
Single track roads
Two-lane arterials
A
Roads with four or more lanes
If road construction necessitates the complete closure of one half of a road with four or more lanes, two lanes of traffic may be shifted to the other roadway. If the road being constructed is a highway, the used half is called a
Freeways and motorways
When
Sporting events
At the beginning and end of major sporting events, the center turn lanes of roads around a stadium or arena may be used to accommodate event traffic. Because these lanes are typically not subject to lane control, this can be considered a limited form of contraflow reversal.
Once a year, upon completion of NASCAR races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire, a form of contraflow lane reversal, referred to as "borrow a lane" is conducted on Interstate 93 in Concord, New Hampshire. In this case, the left lane of northbound Interstate 93 is temporarily "borrowed" to use as a third southbound lane. Southbound traffic has the option of transferring to the "borrowed" lane north of the Interstate 393 interchange and can travel southbound in the left northbound lane to allow a bypass of heavy race traffic entering I-93 southbound from I-393 at Exit 15. The two lanes of traffic in the normal southbound lanes, and traffic in the bypass "borrowed" lane rejoin on the southbound side of the interstate just south of the Interstate 89 interchange in Bow.[17]
Contraflow lane reversal is also used for
See also
References
- ^ "Hurricane Evacuation Contraflow Videos". www.txdot.gov. Retrieved 2020-01-23.
- ^ "Contraflow Evacuation". Floridaits.com. Archived from the original on 2008-09-22. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
- ^ "Mobile County EMA > Evacuations Procedures > Contraflow". Mobile County Emergency Management Agency. Retrieved 2015-08-29.
- ^ "Savannah Georgia Westbound I-16 Hurricane Evacuation Map". Coastalstorms.com. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
- ^ "South Louisiana Contraflow Plan" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-02-27. Retrieved 2008-04-27.
- ^ "Phase III Contraflow: Metropolitan New Orleans Contraflow Plan". LSP. Archived from the original on 3 June 2005.
- ^ "Contraflow Evacuation Maps - New Orleans, Louisiana". Contraflowmaps.com. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
- ^ ISBN 9780387308586. Retrieved 2015-06-22.
- doi:10.1061/(ASCE)1527-6988(2001)2:3(105). Archived from the original(PDF) on 2012-10-03. Retrieved 2010-09-13.
- ^ Cape Cod Emergency Traffic Plan, Massachusetts Department of Transportation, retrieved Sept 23, 2022
- ^ http://www.mdot.state.ms.us/Home/EmergencyPreparedness/pdf/ContraflowPlan.pdf[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Coastal Evacuation Routes". SCDOT - Getting Around in South Carolina. 18 August 2008. Archived from the original on 8 October 2008. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
- ^ "Emergency Portal". Texas.gov. Retrieved 2008-09-01. [dead link]
- ^ "Hurricane Evacuation Guide". Virginiadot.org. Archived from the original on 2008-06-08. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
- ^ "Emergency Shoulder Use (ESU)". FDOT. Retrieved 2023-09-12.
- ^ "Google Maps". Google Maps. Retrieved 2008-09-01.
- ^ "Traffic Control Plans for the July 14 NASCAR Race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon". NHDOT. Retrieved 2013-07-18.
- ^ Staff (July 29, 2014). "Special traffic patterns planned for Pocono race". Allentown, PA: WFMZ-TV. Archived from the original on 2015-06-23. Retrieved 2014-09-21.
- ^ Staff (June 30, 2014). "Special traffic patterns planned for Pocono race". Allentown, PA: WFMZ-TV. Archived from the original on 2015-06-23. Retrieved 2014-09-21.