The Los Angeles side has enough lanes to accommodate additional lanes on the Orange County side, officials said. That interchange is the nation’s most heavily traveled freeway. If the Los Angeles County side of the 405 is not widened as well, won’t that create a logjam at Seal Beach Boulevard?Ī. Next up, by year’s end, is the Slater Avenue bridge in Fountain Valley. Once again, the surrounding area of the freeway will be closed. The second phase of McFadden’s demolition will continue between 11 p.m. What bridges are up next for demolition?Ī. Any excess revenue will go toward more freeway improvements. Probably not, which is why the OCTA calls them express lanes and not toll lanes. Once the loan is repaid, will the express lanes convert to regular lanes?Ī. OCTA argues that doing nothing is not an option. The agency estimates traffic on the already congested 405 will grow 35 percent by 2040. Measure M will pay for the addition of a general-purpose lane in each direction.
No money from Measure M, the local sales tax, will go toward construction of the express lanes, OCTA officials said. Why does the expansion include pay-to-use lanes, anyway? Isn’t this double taxation?Ī. California Highway Patrol officers will keep a visual lookout to make sure the numbers match up. Cars will pass under a mounted system that displays a colored light corresponding with the setting on the transponder. Isn’t this sort of an honors system? How will the carpool lanes be monitored?Ī. Cars with two people will pay during rush hour for the first three and a half year, then will be required to pay at all times to use the express lanes, same as a single driver. Drivers who choose to carpool will need to buy a “switchable” transponder for $15 – which allows them to log the number of people in the vehicle. Vehicles carrying three or more people will be free. The carpool lanes get folded into the fee-based express lanes. A transponder will be mailed to them, and accounts automatically charged for each use. The express lane fee will range from $10 at rush hour to 50 cents at nighttime.Ī.
Express lane users can put a credit card on file with the OCTA.
La freeway express lanes drivers#
How will drivers be charged for the express lanes?Ī. After the widening, there will be five regular lanes and two express lanes – for a total of seven lanes. The express lanes will be separated from regular traffic with tall thin cones. Drivers can enter and exit at eight access points. Currently, this section of the 405 offers four regular lanes and a carpool lane. Drivers indeed will gain another regular lane. We keep hearing “two additional lanes” and “two express lanes.” Does this mean we won’t get another regular lane – just fee-based lanes?Ī. Orange County Transportation Authority officials assisted with the answers. The federal government will chip in $45.6 million, and the state $89.7 million.Ī low-interest, 35-year loan of $629 million will be paid off by revenue from pay-to-use lanes.įollowing are some frequently asked questions, emailed to the newspaper and pondered on social media. The $1.9 billion project will be funded by four sources Measure M, the county’s half-cent sales tax for transportation improvements, will foot the bulk of the bill at about $1.1 billion.
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