The Mergex Advantage
There are numerous advantages that result from the use of an active Mergex system. To list a few…
- Cost Savings for DOT’s and Public Agencies – More efficient use of existing highways will result in significant savings for Departments of Transportation, and other State and County departments that directly or indirectly service our highway systems. In these trying economic times we all stand to benefit from reduced costs without sacrificing service. The cost of a Mergex system is miniscule compared with the average construction cost of adding capacity to an existing freeway which can be as much as $10 million per freeway lane-mile.
- Cost Savings for the Driving Public – There is a lot of data in the open literature on the tangible and intangible costs of congestion and gridlock on U.S. highways. As an example, according to the Texas Transportation Institute’s 2007 Urban Mobility Report, it costs the U.S. $78 billion annually in lost time and excess fuel consumed. The payback period on a Mergex system is estimated to be less than 4 months.
- Highway Worker Safety – By improving the controlled flow of traffic through work zones the potential for accidents to workers can be diminished. It is estimated that more than 90 highway workers die in work zone accidents every year, mostly due to drivers’ inattention and anxiety in trying to get through a congested traffic environment.
- Environmental Impact of Stalled Traffic – Mergex directly influences the environmental impact by reducing emissions that result from stalled traffic or one that is moving at less than optimal speeds for efficient operation of today’s vehicles. The savings in fuel alone has been cited by the Texas Transportation Institute’s 2007 Urban Mobility Report to be as much as 2.9 billion gallons annually. The carbon footprint attributed to congestion has been estimated to be in excess of 33 million tons of CO2 annually in the US alone.
- Environmental Impact of Highways – Expanding a highway through additional lanes, rather than implementing more efficient use of the existing system, has significant environmental consequences. More concrete directly leads to heat buildup, water runoff problems, loss of green spaces, road salt impact in cold climates on water resources, and more.
- Accidents – Stop-and-go traffic has a much higher incidence of “fender-bender“ accidents and road rage which further exacerbate traffic gridlock. These accidents are sharply reduced when traffic is flowing smoothly at designated highway speeds.
- Lost Productivity – By improving the efficiency of traffic movement in high-volume traffic zones, drivers can have greater confidence in managing their time commitments, and don’t have to needlessly provide a large time cushion to handle traffic delays.
- Quality of Life – Those who live near crowded metropolitan areas know that we make life choices depending on the propensity of traffic congestion, choices that influence where we live, work, shop, and entertain ourselves.
- Total Cost –The total annual tangible and intangible costs of road congestion approach a staggering $200 billion.
