Drivers along I-45 between FM 1960 and South Loop 336 in Conroe should see relief from traffic congestion thanks to high-occupancy vehicle lanes that may be open by early 2016.

TxDOT spokeswoman Deidrea Samuels said the state will begin accepting bids on the lane extension project in March 2015 with the hope that work would be completed in either the final quarter of 2015 or the first quarter of 2016, assuming everything is on schedule.

Samuels said extending the HOV lane through the area would allow drivers who are in existing HOV lanes to continue, which should help with the flow of traffic. TxDOT spokesman Danny Perez said there will not be a physical barrier separating the lane extension.

"We will have two solid parallel pavement markings separating the main lane and diamond traffics," Perez said. "Broken pavement markings will be placed at the locations of ingress/egress points."

Alan Clark, director of transportation planning for the Houston-Galveston Area Council, said the project will cost $2 million with federal money funding 80 percent and 20 percent coming from TxDOT.

"It's going to save a fair amount of time, and of course, everyone who uses that lane is not sitting in the [other lanes], so it even helps the people who are not carpooling or using transit," Clark said. "But I don't want anybody to think it's going to open up and people will be able to drive without congestion the next day."

Clark said he hopes the project will encourage people to rideshare or take advantage of public transportation.

"It is the idea that if we get more people in fewer cars, we can achieve a greater benefit, we can reduce congestion by riding, sharing or taking another transit alternative," he said. "It's real simple math. Two people in one car, you've eliminated half of the vehicle miles of travel."

Clark said the HOV lanes also provide some versatility as they can be used by emergency vehicles when needed and can be used to reroute motorists in the event of a major wreck.

The South Montgomery County Mobility Study currently underway determined that the stretch of I-45 between Conroe and the Hardy Toll Road carries 280,000 cars a day and then about 260,000 beyond the Hardy Toll Road.

Mike Bass, director for The Woodlands Township, said the part of I-45 that sees 280,000 cars daily handles roughly 80,000 more than it is designed to accommodate.

"They expect that I-45 in the next 10 years or so could be looking at close to 450,000 cars [a day]," Bass said.