![]() ![]() The improvement plan extends 16 miles from Costa Mesa to the Orange County-Los Angeles County border and includes adding a regular lane in each direction of 405 between Euclid Street and the 605, adding a second lane that will become part of the 405 Express Lanes between SR-73 to the 605, reconstructing 18 bridges that span the freeway, improving local streets and freeway on- and off-ramps and sidewalk and bus lane additions. The 405 Express Lanes are just one component of the 405 Improvement Project, a voter-approved Measure M project which is also the largest highway project currently under construction in the state. However, the FasTrak transponder has to be the adjustable one (not the sticker) if drivers want to take advantage of multiple-occupant discounts, Zlotnik said. Like on other toll roads in California, those using the 405 Express Lanes will need the FasTrak transponder, he said. OCTA also manages some of the express lanes on the 91, and Zlotnik said around $750 million in excess toll revenue from that freeway has been earmarked for projects within the corridor. Under California law, toll revenue needs to be spent within the freeway project area. OCTA will also create an expenditure plan on where excess toll revenues will go, he said. ![]() Money collected from the tolls will go toward paying back the $629 million federal loan - through the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act passed by Congress in 1980 - OCTA received that went toward the construction of the 405 Express Lanes, Zlotnik said. For the first 12 weeks, staffers will monitor the traffic on the freeway and will adjust peak hours accordingly.Īfter that initial period of adjustment, toll rates will be reviewed and adjusted on a quarterly basis, Zlotnik said. However, this could change once the 405 Express Lanes open. Peak hours have been designated as Monday through Friday from 6-10 a.m. Some of the goals of implementing toll roads on the 405 include keeping traffic freely flowing and encouraging commuters to carpool. “That adjustment period gives us the opportunity to lower or raise tolls to ensure we’re best meeting the policy goals of the Express Lanes,” Zlotnik said. Once the Express Lanes open at the end of the year, Zlotnik said, there will be an adjustment period when commuters and OCTA adapt to the new normal of a toll road on the 405. The comparative toll cost per mile on the 10 Express Lanes and 110 Express Lanes is $2.40. The maximum toll cost per mile on the 405 Express Lanes is $0.73. OCTA’s toll rates are less expensive than others in the region. on a Friday while southbound drivers can expect to pay up to $6.20 in tolls. With multiple entry and exit points on the Express Lanes, the toll amount will depend on the stretch of freeway a driver is traveling and the time of day too. The most expensive toll amount planned, $9.95, is for commuters traveling the whole length of the 405 Express Lanes in the northbound direction between 3-5 p.m. The toll road will be free for motorcycles. Clean air vehicles, as designated by the state, will receive a 15% discount. According to documents released ahead of the meeting, the 405 Express Lanes - to be located in the middle of the freeway like the 91 Express Lanes - will give solo drivers the choice to speed up their commutes for a fee.Ĭarpoolers can travel for free if there are three or more individuals in their vehicle with a valid account and transponder.ĭuring the first three and a half years after the opening of the 405 Express Lanes, carpoolers with two individuals can travel for free during non-peak hours with a valid account and transponder.ĭrivers with a designated veterans or a disabled person license plate will always ride the Express Lanes for free. On Wednesday, July 12, those on OCTA’s Finance and Administration Committee will discuss the toll policy. With the almost $2.2 billion improvement project on the 405 nearing completion by the end of the year, the Orange County Transportation Authority is preparing for the 405 Express Lanes (two lanes in each direction) to become operational and start collecting tolls. Around $10 for tolls on the 405 Freeway? That could soon be the reality for some drivers. ![]()
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