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The 1.7mile (2.75km) lane will link the southbound M606 near Bradford to the eastbound M62 towards Leeds allowing vehicles heading towards Leeds with more than one occupant to bypass traffic at the busy Chain Bar junction.

It is estimated the £3.95 million pilot could reduce peak time journeys for those sharing their car at the site by around eight minutes. Studies show that up to 84 percent of vehicles using the junction currently have only one occupant.

Transport Minister Tom Harris said:
"This is a very busy stretch of motorway, but just one in five vehicles travelling between the M606 and M62 has more than one occupant. This new High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lane will give drivers the opportunity to reduce their journey time and make more efficient use of the available road space by sharing their vehicle.

"Car sharing is good for drivers and good for the environment. This trial in West Yorkshire is just one of a series of innovative and imaginative measures being used on the motorway network to tackle congestion and make the best possible use of our available road space."

The new lane is expected to open in Spring 2008.

Andrew Brown, Highways Agency project manager, said:
"This is a very busy junction and we will be working closely with the contractor to keep disruption to road users to a minimum during construction. Most of the work will be happening during the less busy off-peak hours and at night when traffic flows are lower, but there will be some speed restrictions in place and some lane closures."

The new lane will use the hard shoulders of the existing M606 and M62 eastbound slip road, which will be connected by a short stretch of new carriageway next to Chain Bar roundabout. New lay-by areas will be provided as emergency refuge for broken-down vehicles in place of the hard shoulder.

Vehicles that can use the HOV lane on the M606 are cars with two or more people in them - including when towing a trailer or caravan - coaches, buses and motorcycles. Minibuses and taxis can only use the lane when carrying passengers. HGVs will not be allowed to use the HOV Lane.