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Bills approved by the Legislature last week would authorize Michigan to have high-occupancy vehicle, or HOV, lanes. There already is one HOV lane in the state: a five-mile stretch of Michigan Avenue in Detroit near the Ambassador Bridge that coincides with the largest construction project in the history of the state Department of Transportation.

The lane opened in February as a pilot project, but legislative authority is needed so police can ticket violators. Use of HOV lanes is typically limited during certain hours to vehicles with two or more riders and to buses. Some states also allow solo drivers of hybrid vehicles to use car pool lanes.

"There's always been a love affair in Michigan with driving your own vehicle," MDOT spokesman Bill Shreck said. "But we can't build our way out of congestion. We're going to have to be more efficient. "HOV lanes exist or are planned in 46 metropolitan areas in 29 states and Canadian provinces, according to the Federal Highway Administration. Michigan has been slow to join that movement, and no specific plans for more HOV lanes are in the works. But transportation officials plan to look at whether it would make sense to add them while rebuilding the state's highways.

"We'll see how this works and start to see where else we can try," Shreck said of the pilot project.