Drivers traveling between Orange and Los Angeles counties can now use two added express toll lanes and the addition of a regular lane on both sides of the 405 Freeway beginning Friday.
The Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) said these new lanes have been added from Costa Mesa to the Los Angeles County line and give commuters the option to pay a fee to access the new express lanes. The price for the tolls will be based on traffic, what's considered peak and non-peak hours, how many occupants are in a vehicle and which direction drivers are traveling in.
Fees for a vehicle containing one or two people range from $2.70 to $9.95, while vehicles with three or more passengers can access the toll roads for free. Peak hours are considered to be from 6 to 10 a.m., and 2 to 7 p.m. weekdays as well as 1 to 7 p.m. weekends.
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For the first three years, the express lanes will be free for vehicles with two occupants during non-peak hours. Motorcycles, handicapped license plates, and Veteran license plates are always free.
Those who drive a clean-air vehicle will get a 15% discount on the toll road.
OCTA also added a regular lane to traffic flow and replaced 18 bridges including streets, sidewalks, and bike lanes for a 16-mile stretch along the express lane corridor. Darrel Johnson, OCTA CEO, told NBC4 these changes should help alleviate traffic.
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“Using the 91 express lanes as an example, the express lanes, themselves, provide 20% of the lane capacity, but they carry 40% of the traffic in the rush hour,” he explained.
Barragan said he uses the transponder during rush hour, and he said, “if there's an accident … the value is there to pay that toll."
If drivers enter the lanes without a transponder, OCTA will mail them a bill with the charges. There will not be a penalty fee the first time a driver enters the new tolls without a transponder.
Transponders are $15 and can be purchased at the OCTA office in Costa Mesa or online. To register for an account for a transponder, click here.
Johnson added that there will be growing pains as people get used to where the lane opens and closes at several locations.
As far as the funds collected from the express lane tolls, OCTA stated in a fact sheet that if there are excess toll revenues beyond operational, maintenance, and financing costs, they will use the funding for additional improvements to the corridor.
“As an example, to date, the 91 Express Lanes has provided more than $22 million for improvements to the freeway and for public transit in the 91 corridor,” the fact sheet stated.
About the toll lanes
- There are seven access points in between SR-73 and I-605, giving drivers an opportunity to reach every interchange and business along the corridor, including the Westminster Mall, car dealerships, Bella Terra, Goldenwest College and South Coast Plaza, and any other destination.
- These intermediate access locations minimize right of way impacts to the adjacent community.
- Additional access points would likely have significant right of way impacts.
- The intermediate access points at Magnolia/Warner and Bolsa/Goldenwest were selected largely to serve Beach Boulevard which is roughly midway along the corridor, has the highest arterial volume of any of the arterials crossing the freeway, and has the largest interchange volumes in the corridor.
