Transportation agencies developing plans for drivers to pay for a less congested route (1/5ページ)

Already facing $4 a gallon at the pump, drivers in a growing number of states are being tempted to pay even more for a quicker ride home.

Transportation agencies are increasingly looking to reduce congestion and make more use of sometimes under-utilized High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes. Some are developing plans to allow vehicles that don't have the required number of passengers to use the lanes if they are willing to pay.

There are High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes in Seattle, Denver, San Diego, Minneapolis and Salt Lake City. Construction in at least five states is slated to begin in the next year.

"Congestion has grown dramatically in the United States in the last 25 years," says Tyler Duvall, acting undersecretary for policy at the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). "There's a fundamental problem - a supply and demand imbalance."