What’s an HOV Lane? It’s a Possible Victory for Fed Up Michigan I-75 Drivers

Drivers on any expressway in Michigan, especially during construction season, know how painful it is when everything comes to a standstill.

There're a few ways congestion can be alleviated, and it looks like we're closer to one of those solutions.

See Also: Three Michigan Kids Get to Paint-A-Plow. They'll paint their own snow-themed artwork on the side of a snowplow this year.

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What is an HOV Lane?

Road-trippers that venture out of state have likely noticed HOV lanes in their travels. It's a way to reduce traffic in high volume areas.

• It's a lane, often on the left of a major expressway, designated for High Occupancy Vehicles (two or more passengers). Sometimes these are referred to as carpool lanes.
• These are noted with signage, road paint stating: "Express Lane," or even a giant white diamond in the middle of the specific lane (see picture below).

• Lane usage is sometimes 24/7 in very high-traffic cities. Other times, they're restricted to rush hour.

Basically, they're very helpful at reducing heavy traffic on the main portion of a highway. For instance, when mee-maw or pop-pop are a little afraid of the speed limit... holding everyone up.

Does Michigan Have Carpool or H.O.V. Lanes?

To date, Michigan has not had HOV Lanes. But that could soon change as Michigan legislature has been adjusting and voting on proposed bills.

MDOT has been modernizing 18 miles of I-75 in Oakland County. Included in that construction... HOV or Carpool Lanes, according to Crain's Detroit Business. Those are ready to go when lawmakers pass the bill.

Right now, it looks like the state would set 6am-9am and 3pm-6pm Monday through Friday as operating hours for HOV Lanes on that stretch of I-75.

Also, these would be free lanes as long as you have two or more people in the car. If this works, think of all the other bottle-neck traffic issues we could fix on Michigan expressways.