Managed Lane direct connectors and direct access ramps

March 5, 2025

The addition of a Managed Lane Connector and/or Direct Access Ramps are a "Project Type Not Likely to Lead to a Measurable and Substantial Increase in Vehicle Travel."

A key consideration for a practitioner considering a new transportation project is determining whether a project type has the potential to induce travel. This general topic is covered in the Caltrans guidance document, "Transportation Analysis under CEQA," in Section 5.1.1 SCREENING BY PROJECT TYPE: NON-CAPACITY-INCREASING VS. CAPACITY-INCREASING PROJECTS. Subsection ii of Section 5.1.1, "Project Types Not Likely to Lead to a Measurable and Substantial Increase in Vehicle Travel" includes a list of over thirty project types. Section 5.1.1 also acknowledges that the list is not necessarily comprehensive and that there may be other types of projects in addition to those currently listed that would not lead to a measurable and substantial increase in VMT.

Other project types proposed to be added to the list are Managed Lane Direct Connectors and Direct Access Ramps to and from existing Managed Lanes. Managed Lanes refer to either High-Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) and/or High-Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes in the median of existing freeways. Some projects are developed to provide a direct connection to Managed Lanes that currently exist on both or all intersecting freeways. These direct connections are primarily constructed to improve traffic operations by eliminating the merging and/or weaving maneuvers required to move from the median or inside lane of one freeway to access the existing direct freeway connectors used by all vehicles (from the managed and general-purpose lanes). In addition, these types of projects also can facilitate improved transit operations by expediting transit travel times and on-time performance by avoiding operational obstacles. Given the operational focus of these projects, they are not likely to lead to a measurable and substantial increase in VMT and therefore generally should not require an induced travel analysis.

It is important to note that this determination applies only to the addition of Managed Lane direct connectors and Direct Access Ramps and not to the addition of Managed Lanes themselves on any connecting freeway. The addition of Managed Lanes is considered a capacity-increasing highway project and is required to evaluate the potential for induced travel in accordance with established guidance contained in the Transportation Analysis Framework.