“In my opinion, the public keeps being told this is the only way we can create capacity,” Kinne said Tuesday, Oct. Some say too many toll lanes - and not enough general-purpose lanes - are being built.Ĭorona resident Amie Kinne, a business owner and Greater Corona Traffic Alliance administrator, would like to see more general lanes. The Riverside County commission also has been emphasizing express lanes. Transportation officials also are working to expand commuter rail and bus service to give Inland Empire residents alternatives to driving jammed freeways, Watkins said. It’s hard to secure federal and state dollars for projects that boost highway capacity today - especially ones that don’t have a pricing component geared to boost a road’s efficiency, Watkins said. “And, general-purpose lanes benefit when some of the traffic moves over to use the express-lane option,” he wrote.Īnother factor is financial. By comparison, Watkins said, express lanes bring the flexibility of being managed for reliable speeds over the long term through shifting toll prices and occupancy requirements. New general-purpose lanes offer short-term relief because their effectiveness degrades over time as traffic volume grows, he said. “We are building express lanes to offer reliable trip times in an area that continues to grow in demand for both regular vehicular traffic and goods movement stemming from the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles, and the Los Angeles basin,” Watkins wrote in an email. The San Bernardino County agency is emphasizing toll lanes in its highway expansion campaign for several reasons, Watkins said.
10 FREEWAY EXPRESS LANE DRIVERS
The three-person requirement should make traffic flow in the new express lanes faster than in the mainline lanes, he said, while offering an option for solo drivers willing to pay a fee to get to work quicker. At times, the carpool lanes are operating at the same pace as the general-purpose lanes.”
“The demand is pretty high,” Watkins said of the existing carpool lanes. He said that change will make the busy artery that connects Los Angeles and San Bernardino County – and carries 275,000 vehicles daily – more efficient.
10 FREEWAY EXPRESS LANE FREE
Similarly, the opening of the 10 Freeway toll lanes will come with a three-person occupancy requirement for a free ride - a switch from the current rule that lets drivers use the carpool lane if two people are on board, Watkins said. Carpools with three or more people ride free, he said. Work began on that project in April 2021 – five days after the commission unveiled the 15 Freeway’s express lanes, Hake said. Commuters heading east on those 91 lanes will be able to drive directly onto the toll lanes on the northbound 15.Īaron Hake, deputy executive director for the Riverside County Transportation Commission, which is directing that project, said the connector ramp is expected to open by the end of next year. When finished, drivers heading south in the 15 toll lanes will be able to drop straight into the 91 toll lanes going west. The project is on track to be finished by the end of 2023, he said.Īlso under construction is a $270 million project in Corona that involves a sweeping ramp that will provide a direct link between the express lanes on the 15 and 91. Tim Watkins, chief of legislative and public affairs for the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority, said the complex project involves reconstructing or modifying 18 bridges, building retaining and sound walls, converting existing carpool lanes into tolled express lanes and building new toll lanes.Īuxiliary lanes, which run from one exit to another and help drivers enter and leave the freeway, are being added, he said. The freeway will continue to have four general-purpose lanes on each side. The biggest project under construction is a $929 million venture in San Bernardino County that will bring two toll lanes in each direction along 10 miles of the 10 Freeway, from the Los Angeles County line to the 15 Freeway in Ontario. Generally, express lanes charge solo drivers for the ride and let carpools of at least three people use them for free, while requiring everyone to have a transponder. By the end of next year, officials say, commuters will be able to drive on express lanes near the west end of San Bernardino County – through Montclair, Upland and Ontario on the 10 Freeway – and in Corona where the 91 and 15 freeways meet.
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