Proposed Express Lane Changes Include Half-Price For Some Drivers

ALAMEDA, CA — Does your commute include highways with Express Lanes?

The Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) and its Bay Area Infrastructure Financing Authority (BAIFA) affiliate invite Bay Area residents to learn about and comment on proposed changes to the Express Lane Toll Facility Ordinance during a public comment period that continues through May 9.

Express Lanes are carpool lanes that give priority to buses and carpools but also are open to other drivers who choose to pay a toll for a faster trip.

To maintain the Express Lanes’ speed and reliability edge, tolls rise or fall based on traffic levels. The Toll Facility Ordinance establishes Express Lane tolls, a toll collection process, and civil penalties for the evasion of tolls on MTC-BAIFA Express Lanes.

These include the Express Lanes on Interstate 880 in Alameda County and I-680 in Contra Costa County.

Proposed changes to the existing Toll Facility Ordinance will support the opening of new Express Lanes along both directions of I-80 between Red Top Road in Fairfield and I-505 in Vacaville and to update select policies for all MTC-BAIFA Express Lanes in the Bay Area.

Other updates include:

• Allowing Express Lane pilot projects to last up to three years and to be extended for an additional three years.
• Increasing the minimum toll to 75 cents per toll zone from the current 50 cents per zone.
• Scheduling a September 30, 2025, expiration date for the clean air vehicle discount unless changes to federal law are enacted that authorize clean air vehicles after that date to access carpool lanes without meeting posted vehicle occupancy requirements.
• Adjusting the boundaries of the toll zones on the MTC-BAIFA Express Lane along southbound Interstate 680 in Contra Costa.

Pilot projects under consideration include expansion of the existing Express Lanes START initiative (which allows lower-income drivers to qualify for half-price tolls along the I-880 Express Lanes in Alameda County) to include the new I-80 Solano Express Lanes and a test of weekend tolling on the I-80 Solano Express Lanes.

These pilots will be considered for approval by BAIFA later this year, separate from adoption of an updated toll ordinance.

MTC and BAIFA will host an informational webinar about the proposed changes to the Toll Facility Ordinance at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 23.

You may access it online or by phone at: