Toll Lanes Coming to Major Freeway Interchange in Milpitas

For commuters tired of the weekday traffic bottleneck at the Highway 237 and Interstate 880 interchange in Milpitas, relief may be coming in the form of new express lanes.

Under the SR237/I-880 Express Connectors project, in the works by the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, solo drivers will have the option of using existing carpool lanes to get through the interchange faster.

The catch? They will have to pay a toll for that privilege.

In a public hearing Tuesday at its San Jose headquarters, VTA officials shared plans for the project that was approved in 2008, and for the toll collection process.

The toll will apply only to solo drivers using new express lanes, which will be created in the coming months from existing carpool lanes. Car or vanpools of two or more people, motorcycles, certain hybrid vehicles and transit buses will still be able to use the lanes for free.

The idea behind the project, according to Jennie Loft, communications and outreach manager for VTA, is to make more effective use of the existing roadways.

In a study provided at the hearing, VTA officials noted that under the current setup, the carpool lanes are underused during morning and afternoon commute hours, while general-purpose lanes are often gridlocked. The express lanes would help spread traffic across all lanes and improve traffic flow for everyone. The benefit for solo drivers who use the express lanes is a more reliable travel time.

A specific pricing structure for solo drivers using those lanes has not yet been determined. But VTA officials say the toll will be dynamic, meaning it will vary depending on the amount of congestion on the freeway at any given time. Similar Express Lane projects across the country have tolls ranging from $1-$10.

Through the use of dynamic pricing, VTA officials said they can manage the amount of traffic in the express lanes and maintain free-flowing speeds even when the general purpose lanes are congested.

But one sticky question remains: What hours will the toll collection be in place? Current carpool hours are 5-9 a.m. and 3-7 p.m. weekdays. Carpool lanes are open to all drivers outside of those hours. VTA officials at Tuesday’s public hearing didn’t have information on toll collection hours.

When contacted later, Bernard Walik, a spokesman for the California Department of Transportation, which is working with VTA on the project, said the project’s design team is still working on an assessment on what the final hours of operation will be. However, Walik said it’s likely that the toll collection hours will initially mimic the current carpool lane hours.  

Eastbound express lanes will start on Highway 237 at Zanker Road in San Jose and end on I-880 just before Dixon Landing Road in Milpitas. Westbound express lanes will start just south of Dixon Landing Road on I-880 and end on Highway 237 near the North First Street exit in San Jose.  The distance is about four miles.

As for traffic impact on nearby surface streets in Milpitas, Margaret Simmons-Cross, highway program manager at VTA, said it shouldn’t be a problem.  “The project is only changing the distribution of the traffic on the lanes,” she said.

Loft agreed. “It will not have an impact; in fact, it may help alleviate traffic congestion in that area,” she said.

Revenue from tolls will be used to maintain the facility, enhance transit and provide enforcement by the California Highway Patrol.

How will it work?

The express lanes will be separated from the other lanes by a painted stripe buffer, except at specific entry and exit points. Each entry and exit point will be equipped with overhead electronic signs and a FasTrak electronic toll collection system. An overhead antenna will read a motorist’s FasTrak transponder and deduct the toll from a prepaid account as the car rolls by.

The FasTrak transponders are already in use to collect tolls on most major Bay Area bridges.

Preparation for the project, which will include restriping the lanes and installation of overhead signs, will start in late spring. The express lanes will go into service near the end of this year. The cost is $11.1 million, with funding coming from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Federal Value Pricing Pilot Program and local sources.

The VTA Express Lane Project is the second toll road in Northern California. The first is a 14-mile express lane on Interstate 680 that stretches from Highway 84 in Sunol to Highway 237 in Milpitas. It opened Sept. 20. Drivers on that express lane pay between 30¢ and $5, depending on traffic congestion. 

Over the next several years, VTA plans to add similar express lanes on other South Bay thoroughfares. Among them is a 24-mile corridor along State Route 85, slated to open in 2014. Later plans call for two express lanes in each direction along a 34-mile corridor on US-101.

The VTA board of directors approved the VTA Express Lane Project in December 2008. For more information, contact VTA Community Outreach at 408-321-7575, expresslanes@vta.org or TTY 408-321-2330.