Express lanes to help reduce I-680 backup

So far, the plan to convert many of Bay Area’s carpool lanes into a 550-mile network of express lanes that allow solo drivers to buy their way in has been confined to the further reaches of the East Bay and a congested freeway interchange at the foot of the bay.

That changes at 5 a.m. Monday when the I-680 Contra Costa Express lanes open on Interstate 680 through the San Ramon Valley. The new lanes, the farthest north of those already in operation, will require every vehicle entering them to have a FasTrak toll tag. A similar system exists on the I-580 express lanes, which opened in 2016.

The Bay Area’s newest carpool-toll lane combination will stretch about a dozen miles with a single lane in each direction between San Ramon and Walnut Creek. It is a section that has be-

come increasingly congested, unfailingly backing up during the morning and evening commutes.

Express lanes help move traffic in all lanes, transportation planners say, because they take solo drivers willing to pay for them out of the other lanes. Toll rates can vary from 50 cents up, depending on the flow of traffic. The money is automatically deducted from a FasTrak account whenever a driver moves into the lane.

If traffic is so heavy that the express lanes come to a slow crawl, only carpools will be allowed into the lane until the flow improves. Electronic signs along the way will keep drivers posted.

“The idea is that this makes all lanes operate most efficiently,” said John Goodwin, a spokesman for the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, which is operating the new express lane.

But Goodwin advised peak-time commuters through the San Ramon Valley not to expect the miracle of free-flowing traffic. On weekdays, I-680 slows to a slog southbound in the morning and northbound in the evening commute, even with the current carpool lanes, which are limited to vehicles carrying two or more people.

“This is not going to eliminate congestion in the 680 corridor,” he said. “Absolutely expect it to relieve congestion, especially ... just before and after peak travel times. But during periods of consistently very heavy traffic, during the peak, the express lanes may not move the needle a great deal.

“It’s going to help,” he said. “It’s not going to solve.”

The new lanes will operate much the same way as existing express lanes over the Sunol Grade, on I-580 in the Tri-Valley and through the I-880-Highway 237 interchange in Milpitas, allowing solo drivers to electronically pay tolls to get into the carpool lanes.

Those who qualify for the carpool lanes — carpools, motorcycles and vehicles with valid cleanair stickers — will still get a free ride in the new I-680 lanes. But there’s a catch — they’ll need a special type of transponder known as FasTrak Flex, which has a switch that can be adjusted to indicate the number of passengers in the car.

Older transponders will work for the solo drivers paying to enter the lanes.

“If you’re a solo driver the old FasTrak tag is fine,” Goodwin said. “But if you’re a carpooler, now is the time to make the switch to Flex.”

Vehicles with FasTrak Flex switches set to 2 or 3+ will get free admission to the lanes; those set at 1 will be charged a toll.

The 680 Contra Costa Express lane runs southbound for 12 miles from Rudgear Road in Walnut Creek to Alcosta Boulevard in San Ramon at the Alameda County line. Northbound, the lane reaches 11 miles from Alcosta Boulevard to Livorna Road in Alamo.

Each lane will have two toll zones, north and south of Crow Canyon Road. Tolls to that exit, as well as the end of the express lane, will be posted on electronic signs. Tolls can change every couple of minutes, as they’re adjusted to traffic speeds, but drivers will be charged the rate displayed when they enter the lane. The I-680 lanes are open-access lanes without the entry or exit points some express lanes have. They will operate from 5 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday through Friday.

CHP officers will handle enforcement, but won’t issue citations to those unaware they need transponders during the first several days of operation. Officers will be aided by the newfangled transponders, which alert officers that someone has claimed a free toll. They can then check whether the car is qualified to be in the lane.

“Vehicles in the first few days without FasTrak can expect to receive cordial invitations to join the FasTrak family,” Goodwin said.

With the addition of the 680 Contra Costa lanes, the Bay Area’s express lanes now cover 75 miles. By 2035, regional transportation planners expect them to form a network that stretches 550 miles mostly in the East Bay and South Bay.

Coming next, in 2020, are express lanes on Interstate 880 between the southern tip of Oakland and Highway 237 in Milpitas and an extension of the Contra Costa lanes in the southbound direction to Marina Vista in Martinez.