Houston traffic is baaaaaaad. The major east-west freeway, I10, seems to always be backed-up and the construction doesn't help. We took this HOV lane without knowing when it would merge back into the snarled main lanes to our right. Fortunately, the lane ended at our exit and we bypassed about 10 miles of stop-and-go in favor of smooth sailing in our (almost completely) private lane. Considering how often we make wrong turns in our travels, finding the lowest trees and wimpiest bridges, it is nice to occasionally choose just the right route.