A bill that would open Utah's highway express lanes to all drivers during most of the day advanced out of committee on a 3-2 vote Tuesday.

SB38 would allow the current carpool and monthly fee restrictions on Interstate 15 express lanes only during rush-hour traffic from 6-9 a.m. and 4-7 p.m. The bill headed to the full Senate also would remove the double-white lines that keep motorists from turning into or out of an express lane except in the area of interchanges.

During much of the day the lane is not used, even if there's afternoon traffic congestion, said Sen. Karen Morgan, D-Cottonwood Heights, the bill's sponsor.

"It's basically a very expensive, somewhat wasted lane of highway," she told the Senate Transportation and Public Utilities and Technology Committee.

Morgan also wants to remove the double-whites because she said forcing people to switch lanes in limited zones could lead them to hurry and swerve.

The Utah Department of Transportation believes it's actually a hazard to remove the double-whites, because of speed differentials between the lanes. If express lane traffic moves faster, UDOT Deputy Director Carlos Braceras said, the lane shifts should be restricted to zones where other drivers are expecting them.

Allowing access anywhere along the highway also would doom UDOT's $14 million plan, already under contract, to start electronic tolling for the express lanes this fall. That system is designed to read in-car transponders at the lane access points. UDOT would have to stop allowing tolled access to what originally were carpool lanes, Braceras said, because federal approval for the system was contingent on eventual electronic tolling.

The bill appeared stuck in a 2-2 tie until Sen. Jerry Stevenson, R-Layton, arrived after the debate and during the vote to cast the deciding vote recommending it to the full Senate. He did not hear Braceras' arguments, but said he had read the bill.

Brandon Loomis