HOUSTON -- Note: The following story is a verbatim transcript of a Troubleshooters story that aired on Sunday, Nov. 5, 2006, on KPRC Local 2 at 10 p.m.

One hundred hours a year -- more time than most of us get for vacation. But that's how much time the average person spends waiting in traffic.

You could get to work faster if the state would just open up two lanes of freeway they've already constructed.

But while you're idling in long lines of traffic, KPRC Local 2 investigative reporter Amy Davis found the empty roadway, sitting idle right next to thousands of drivers.

The morning commute from The Woodlands to southwest Houston is a painful one. John Laury watches the traffic gridlock from the driver's seat five days a week.

"To me, it's a waste -- a waste of precious, valuable time for many people," Laury said.

It's Interstate 45 on the north side from Parramatta out to FM 1488. Drivers are stuck in miserably slow-moving traffic while two lanes sit completely empty, completely off-limits to you.

"Wide-open stretches of concrete with nobody on it -- nobody able to use it," Laury said.

It's wide-open space stretching some 20 miles from Harris all the way into Montgomery County.

Local 2 Investigates discovered crews completed this portion of roadway four years ago. But the concrete surface has yet to see a single tire.

TxDOT never opened the extra lanes.

"When you have cars all bunched up, four lanes wide, five lanes wide, and here's two extra lanes that could be used right now," Laury said.

"Things change," said Norm Wigington with TxDOT.

That's the short answer from the Texas Department of Transportation.

"When it was designed and built in 2002-2003, there were several things that have come online since that time," Wigington said.

TxDOT says this vacant expanse smack in the middle of Interstate 45 was supposed to be an HOV lane.

But, by the time it was completed in 2002, TxDOT ditched those plans like litter from passing cars.

It has empty water bottles, a section of chain-link fence, but not a single car in four years.

"We build highways and then we have a partner who can perhaps enforce speed limits, speed zones and things like that and give tickets. We didn't really have that kind of partner on this particular facility," Wigington said.

There is no partner and no plans to open this roadway anytime soon.

"I guess I don't understand your question about why it's wasting away. It's not wasting. It's simply in preparation," Wigington said.

"They may be able to sit in their offices while this is sitting there idle and they can say, 'Yes, it's not going to be wasted money,'" Laury said.

In fact, the money's already been spent. You paid $168 million for this concrete now sporting weeds instead of wheels.

But TxDOT says it's still deciding how this concrete will be used.

"You've spent the money. You've poured the concrete. Do something with it," said Christof Spieler with Citizens Transportation Coalition.

Christof Spieler with the Citizens Transportation Coalition says while it seems common sense to commuters, TxDOT may consider this project done.

"The contractual end of the project probably happened. I mean, the handover from the contractor to TxDOT happened and all the papers got signed and all that happened. So, in TxDOT books, it's probably considered a completed project," Spieler said.

TxDOT told us planning takes time.

These lanes could be diamond lanes, like these in Dallas, a lot like an HOV lane without the concrete barriers -- maybe a lane with just trucks or buses or something else.

Buy why put off today what they could do tomorrow?

"Perhaps we can make a better decision tomorrow with more tools and that's what we want to do," Wigington said.

The Citizens Transportation Coalition told us getting your local and state politicians involved can help get things moving.

We called the mayor's office, the Harris County judge, the Montgomery County judge and county commissioners. No one wanted to talk about this project.

The Metro Police Department enforces all the HOV lanes inside Harris County. But, the agency has no jurisdiction in Montgomery County. TxDOT says it is currently negotiating with other agencies to help police the lanes when they finally open.