Express Lane Coming to Sunol Grade

Fremont, Calif., October 31, 2008 ... A groundbreaking ceremony was held today to celebrate the start of construction on the first toll lane in the Bay Area. The project will create a southbound Express Lane — a high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane that will double as a toll lane — on a 14-mile stretch of Interstate 680 traversing the Sunol Grade.

Solo drivers will have the choice of paying a toll electronically to access the lane and bypass traffic. Carpools and vanpools will continue to use the lane for free.

“We are in an era where building bigger freeways in our metropolitan cities is no longer an option,” said California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. “Toll lanes are a viable tool for managing congestion.”

This project is funded in part by Proposition 1B, the $19.9 billion Transportation Bond approved by voters in 2006. The estimated $230 million cost includes widening the roadway and providing auxiliary lanes; installing electronic toll equipment and transportation management equipment; creating safe entrance and exit points for toll--lane users; and the repaving of all southbound lanes over the Sunol Grade from Highway 84 to Highway 237.

“The I-680 Express Lane will reduce traffic congestion along southbound I-680 during peak morning commute hours, from Route 84 to Route 237 in Milpitas,” said California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) Director Will Kempton.

Caltrans District 4 Director Bijan Sartipi said, “The time is right for the Bay Area to look to the use of Express Lanes as an aid in congestion management. As a mobility company, it is our responsibility to explore all options to efficiently move people and goods.”

According to Dennis Fay, Executive Director of the Alameda County Congestion Management Agency (ACCMA), “Using the I-680 Express Lane will be easy. Solo drivers will have the choice of remaining in traffic during periods of congestion or they can use an electronic toll-paying system to move into the express/carpool lane. The toll will depend on the available capacity of the express lane. This is called ‘dynamic pricing’ and is used successfully elsewhere in the country. Drivers will see the price to use the express lane on an overhead electronic sign as they approach an entrance to the lane. Tolls will be higher when there is more congestion, and lower when the lane is less crowded. Thus, all users of the lane will be assured a speedy, reliable trip.”

The lane is being built in three segments; work began today on the first segment between the Mission Boulevard north and south interchanges in Fremont. Segments two and three are expected to be in construction in early 2009. The express lane is scheduled to be operational in 2011. Revenue from the express lane will be used to pay for lane operations, for public transit along the I-680 corridor, and for additional carpool or express lanes.

“The I-680 Express Lane Project launches a new era of congestion relief for drivers in northern California,” said ACCMA Chair Mark Green. “For the first time, solo drivers will have a choice, and current carpool lane users will continue to enjoy the benefits of sharing rides.”

“The high-occupancy/toll lane on I-680 will be the first segment in a planned 800-mile regional HOT lane network,” said Napa County Supervisor Bill Dodd, who serves as chair of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) and the Bay Area Toll Authority (BATA). “Think of HOT lanes as a way to buy 'congestion insurance' for when you absolutely, positively have to get there on time.

HOT lanes are new to the Bay Area, but they have a proven record of success in other areas of the country, including Southern California — where toll lane fees are paid by using the same FasTrak® toll tags that motorists are already using to pay tolls on Bay Area bridges.

Besides MTC/BATA, the I-680 Express Lane partners are the State of California/Department of Transportation (Caltrans), ACCMA, the Alameda County Transportation Improvement Authority (ACTIA), the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (SCVTA), the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the California Highway Patrol (CHP).

Today’s groundbreaking event featured a “how-it-works” video, which can be seen on the project’s Web site at www.680expresslane.org.