In the fall of 2018, the Georgia State Road and Tollway Authority (SRTA) opened the Northwest Corridor (NWC) reversible Express Lanes in the Atlanta Metropolitan Area. This research will implement a commuter survey targeting at NWC Express Lane users and non-users to identify factors influencing observed travel behavioral changes, which includes shifts in commute travel routes and changes in shared ride activities. Survey responses will also be used to assess the impacts of the new facility on changes in vehicle miles traveled, energy consumption, and vehicle emissions resulting from the increase in corridor capacity and decrease in corridor congestion. This project will include survey design, coding, recruitment, deployment, analysis of survey responses, and assessment of energy and emissions changes. Survey invitations to participate in the online survey will be sent to the 40,000 households observed on NWC facilities. Invitations to a parallel survey (for general public participation) will also be distributed through traditional SRTA social media outreach methods. Analytical results will provide policy-makers and practitioners great insights in the sustainability impacts of express lane facilities and related carpooling activities.
