Media Relations Contact:
Morgan Lyons

August 23, 2000

DART Hosts International Conference on HOV Lanes

Transportation engineers, planners and researchers from around the world are coming to Dallas to participate in the 10th International HOV Conference, August 27 through 30.

Hosted by DART, the conference at the Fairmont Hotel in downtown Dallas will examine issues and technologies related to the operation and design of high occupancy vehicle lanes as part of a comprehensive approach to traffic management. The start of the conference coincides with the opening of the next phase of the new I-35E/US 67 HOV lane from Louisiana Avenue to Camp Wisdom Road on US 67. More than 118,000 commuters use the DART HOV network each weekday.

"HOV lanes are a big part of our success. We're pleased to share what we've learned with our colleagues and we are anxious to learn from them as well," DART President/Executive Director Roger Snoble said.

The Transportation Research Board of the National Research Council sponsors the conference in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Transit Administration. The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and the North Central Texas Council of Governments are conference co-hosts. The conference is held biannually and is expected to draw about 300 participants.

Conference speakers include Dallas County Judge Lee Jackson, DART Board of Directors Chairman Jesse Oliver, DART President/Executive Director Roger Snoble, Richardson Mayor Gary Slagel, TxDOT Assistant Executive Director Mike Behrens, North Central Texas Council of Governments Transportation Director Michael Morris and Dallas businessman Walter J. Humann.

The conference will feature presentations and papers from around the United States as well as the United Kingdom, Netherlands, Australia and Canada. Conference topics include the air quality benefits of HOV lanes, HOV system planning, design, construction, operation, evaluation, marketing, bus rapid transit and intelligent transportation systems. Conference participants will also have the opportunity to tour DART's HOV system.

DART operates 23 miles of HOV lanes in four traffic corridors in the DART Service Area: East R.L. Thornton Freeway (I-30), Stemmons Freeway (I-35E, north of LBJ Freeway), LBJ Freeway, between North Central Expressway and Stemmons, and South RL Thornton/Marvin D. Love Freeway (I-35E/US 67) south of downtown Dallas.

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