Corrected: Dynamic Tolling to occur later this fall on the I-25 South Gap and Westbound I-70 Mountain Express Lane corridors
News Release
Denver — Drivers on the I-25 South Gap and I-70 Mountain Express Lane corridors will soon see “dynamic tolling” — or real-time pricing — in effect on the 18-mile stretch of the I-25 Express Lanes between Monument and Castle Rock and the westbound, 12-mile stretch of I-70 Express Lanes between the Veterans Memorial Tunnels and Empire.
An earlier release had said dynamic tolling on these corridors would be starting Nov. 1. That launch will actually occur later this fall.
Dynamic tolling — adjusting tolls continuously according to real-time traffic conditions instead of simply by time of day — will help to better manage demand during peak hours to maintain free flow traffic in the South Gap and Mountain Express Lanes. Dynamic tolling was introduced earlier this year on the Central 70 Express Lanes and will eventually take effect on all Express Lanes in the Colorado system.
Tolls on both the South Gap and Mountain Express Lane corridors will be similar to the time-of-day pricing drivers are accustomed to seeing on each corridor, ranging from $1.50 to $4.75 for South Gap and up to $9 on the Mountain Express Lane. The only difference is the toll rates may change throughout the day to respond to changing traffic conditions, meaning tolls may be somewhat higher or lower than drivers have been accustomed to.
Rates may be updated as often as every five to 15 minutes, and overhead signs will display current toll prices. The price displayed when vehicles enter the Express Lanes is the price drivers will pay if they have an ExpressToll pass, even if the toll changes while the driver is traveling in the Express Lanes. License plate fees will continue to apply for drivers who do not have an ExpressToll pass.
“To keep the flow of traffic moving, expanding dynamic tolling to these two corridors just makes sense,” said Piper Darlington, director of the Colorado Transportation Investment Office, the division of CDOT that owns and operates Colorado Express Lanes. “The South Gap and the Mountain Express Lanes are two of the most traveled corridors in the state, and we want to do everything we can to help keep Express Lane speeds reliable. By transitioning to dynamic tolling and adjusting the tolls based on real-time traffic conditions, we’ll be able to do just that.”
Dynamic tolling is designed to help better maintain a free-flowing level of traffic and ease traffic congestion across all lanes in a dedicated corridor, including the untolled, or general purpose, lanes. The I-25 South Gap Express Lanes remain free to motorcyclists, commercial transit vehicles and vehicles with three or more passengers and a switchable HOV transponder.
