An advantage of using the shoulders of the highway is that the Beltline wouldn’t need to expand in width, Lamers said.

“Both of these alternatives — whether it’s just the pavement overlay option or the pavement overlay with the dynamic part-time shoulder use — fit within the existing footprint of the roadway that’s out there today,” Lamers said.

So far, Lamers said, the DOT has heard questions from residents about what would happen if someone’s car breaks down while the shoulder is open as a travel lane. Another common concern is how emergency vehicles would be able to travel on the Beltline if the shoulder were not available.

The system would have signs that specify when the shoulder is open for use and when it is closed, Lamers said. In the case of an emergency, the shoulder could be closed to allow for a broken-down car or an emergency vehicle, he said.

Signs would use a green arrow to show that the lane is open, a red “X” to show that the shoulder is closed and a yellow “X” to show that the lane is ending soon.

Lamers stressed that the shoulders would only be in use for a short portion of the day.