State Route 60 automated truck facility.

NHTSA · 2008 · ROSA P / California. Dept. of Transportation. Division of Research and Innovation

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Summary

This report evaluates the feasibility, operational concept, and cost of implementing a dedicated Automated Highway System (AHS) truck lane along State Route 60 (Pomona Freeway) in California. The study was motivated by severe congestion in Los Angeles County, where traffic demand has significantly outstripped infrastructure supply, leading to declining average speeds. With truck vehicle miles traveled increasing by nearly 90% over two decades while lane supply grew only 4%, the research explores AHS technology as a solution to dramatically increase lane capacity without extensive new construction. The primary objectives were to assess the technical viability of an automated truck facility for accommodating projected 2020–2025 traffic volumes and to estimate the associated capital and operational costs. The study focuses on a 37.8-mile segment of SR-60 from I-710 to I-15. The proposed operational concept involves a single dedicated automated lane in each direction, separated from mixed-flow traffic by physical barriers. Trucks would operate in platoons of three vehicles with close longitudinal spacing (8 meters intra-platoon) at speeds of 55 mph, utilizing sensors, actuators, and dedicated short-range communications (DSRC) for control. The analysis assumes that one automated lane per direction can handle the projected 2020 peak hour truck volume of 1,850 vehicles per hour, leveraging the high pipeline capacity of AHS. The report details check-in and check-out procedures at 11 interchanges, evaluating grade-separated and mainline configurations, and outlines incident management protocols for automation failures. The financial analysis estimated the total initial capital cost for the automated truck lanes at $1.37 billion. This figure includes right-of-way acquisition, infrastructure construction, roadway instrumentation, and design costs. Despite this substantial upfront investment, the study found a benefit-to-cost ratio of 3.09 for carrying the year 2020 truck volumes. This favorable ratio is attributed to the high capacity of the automated lanes, which eliminates the need for multiple conventional lanes to handle the same traffic volume. The report concludes that AHS offers a viable alternative to traditional capacity expansion, providing increased safety, reduced emissions, and improved mobility while requiring less right-of-way than conventional widening projects.

Key finding

The estimated cost for the automated truck lanes is $1.37 billion, resulting in a benefit-to-cost ratio of 3.09 for carrying year 2020 truck volumes.

Methodology

modeling

Provenance

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Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-10; verification: verified.

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