Funds are being sought to determine whether carpool and/or toll lanes are feasible on Highway 101 in San Mateo County.
Elected officials and dignitaries celebrated the opening of 22 miles of express toll lanes — with variable pricing in both directions — on U.S. Highway 101 through San Mateo County on Saturday.
The lanes are regulated from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays by dynamic pricing, meaning toll rates will be adjusted based on traffic use. The cost to access the lanes will be displayed on overhead electronic signs.
The tolls are meant to encourage carpooling or transit use as well as to cut travel times and reduce highway congestion.
The $581 million project was built in two phases. The first, from the San Mateo County/Santa Clara County line to Whipple Avenue, opened to traffic in February 2022. The second, from Whipple Ave to Interstate Highway 380 in South San Francisco, opened last month.
Solo drivers who want to use the express lane must have a standard FasTrak or a FasTrak Flex toll tag, while carpoolers and motorcycles must have the FasTrak Flex toll tag set in the proper position to travel at a discount.
Caltrans managed the design and construction of the lanes in partnership with the San Mateo County Transportation Authority and the City/County Association of Governments of San Mateo County. The express lanes are operated by the Bay Area Toll Authority.
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(2) comments
Dealing with Fastrak has been very frustrating, I had changed my Fastrak transponders 3x. The transponders they send me work on the bridges and the east bay toll roads but not on 101 tolls.
Celebrating the hoi polloi for providing additional funding for ever increasing pensions and benefits because somebody has to pay for them? Nice. Those that can’t afford to use the no-longer “free” lane will continue to use the “free” lanes and increase our area’s emissions via higher congestion. I wonder whether someone can do a study to gather numbers on the increase in commute times and number of road rage incidents. Perhaps some numbers on other unintended consequences due to these toll lanes, such as more garbage on the side of the highway, more accidents, etc.? Meanwhile, a thought experiment… Should folks use the toll lanes without using their FasTrak toll tag? If enough folks do that and then claim tolls are disproportionately harmful, will their tolls then be forgiven?
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