Tolling Begins Today for US 36 Express Lanes from Louisville to Boulder

March 30, 2016 - Metro Denver Colorado/CDOT Region 1 - BOULDER, CO – The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), the High Performance Transportation Enterprise (HPTE) and project partner Plenary Roads Denver remind the public that toll collection begins today on the final US 36 Express Lanes segment, from Superior/Louisville to Boulder.

With this final stretch open, the US 36 Express Lanes project will be open from Federal Boulevard to Table Mesa in Boulder.

Express Lanes have delivered more consistent, faster speeds for all US 36 users, not just those using the Express Lanes: Compare a weekday westbound travel day in September 2011 to 2015:

  • 2011 at 7:40 a.m.: speeds were 35 mph;

  • 2015 at 7:40 a.m.: speeds were 45 mph, 29 percent faster than 2011.

  • 2011 at 6 p.m.: speeds were 50 mph

  • 2015 at 6 p.m.: speeds were above 60 mph, 20 percent faster than 2011.

Express Lane facts include:

  • More than 73,000 switchable transponders have been distributed and have saved carpoolers $1.3 million in tolls since last summer

  • Switchable transponders give carpoolers the ease of traveling for free or choosing to pay a toll, when carpooling is not an option.

  • US 36 includes two free general purpose lanes in each direction, in addition to a new 18-mile bikeway, from Boulder to Westminster.

For those who have not already done so, drivers are encouraged to get an ExpressToll account and pass. For carpoolers, the switchable pass is the only device that will allow them to travel in the Express Lanes for free, and for single drivers, the pass saves them money by not having to pay a license plate surcharge. Both passes work on all Colorado Express Lanes, E-470 and the Northwest Parkway. Drivers will always be able to travel for free in the general purpose lanes.

The US 36 Express Lanes Project is a multi-modal project with an Express Lane in each direction on US 36. The Express Lanes accommodate High Occupancy Vehicles (HOV), Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and tolled vehicles. While the US 36 Express Lanes project is open, construction crews will be continuing to work on weather-sensitive items, such as landscaping, through the summer.

Toll rates were approved last year by the HPTE board, and can found here. To get a pass, go to expresslanes.codot.gov or expresstoll.com.