Using better techniques of highway development and construction also accounts for part of the effort to modify current traffic control methods. Although it may seem like the obvious solution, simply building more roads and highways is not the answer (Koepp 57). On numerous occasions, it has been proven that when new roads and lanes are constructed, they simply fill up to capacity again (Rauber 45-47). For example, the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system, built in 1972, currently handles 29,000 passengers per day, but roads and highways around the city of San Francisco are still badly congested (45-47). Building new highways also incurs many expensive costs (Koepp 57). The most efficient solution is the rebuilding of existing highways, since 62% of United States highways need repairs (57). Even though simple road building may just encourage more gridlock, it can also prove to be an efficient solution to traffic congestion if roads are designed with the thought of gridlock reduction in mind. In the 1970s in Atlanta, Georgia, traffic on I-75 and I-85 was horrendous (Koepp 54). Jammed with 100,000 cars every day, it quickly became evident that a solution was needed (54). In 1978, Atlantas voters passed a $1.4 billion plan to free the freeways (54). This resulted in the Spaghetti Junction, a large highway system of up to 10 lanes and capable of handling up to four times the volume of the old system (54). In Houston, Texas, the recently developed contraflow lane easily switches traffic from one direction to another, reducing traffic congestion in the process (Doan 64). Many new technological developments in highway construction have recently been introduced which help to ease gridlock. A material called Kynar, a special polymer piezoelectric film, generates electric signals when run over by vehicles (Amato 79). Although this product is not currently in use yet, the possibilities for its use are endless (79). It could be used to measure speed...
