Highway 101 toll lanes are now open
Bay Area motorists have 12 miles of new toll lanes spanning Highway 101 from Mountain View to Redwood City that opened last week. But even the most seasoned commuters are often left scratching their heads as their Fastrak transponder racks up confusing charges each month.
Figuring out how you will be paying on the latest stretch of toll lanes that join the 118-mile express lane network in the Bay Area is complicated — not even the people who planned the system know the answer just yet. Costs are guided by a dizzying mix of uncapped prices that can change every five minutes, multiple toll zones, and discounts for car poolers and cleanair vehicles.
Here is a guide to the opening for the perplexed:
Q
Where are these new express toll lanes?
A
The lanes run north and south between the Highway 101-237 intersection near the border of Mountain View and Sunnyvale to Whipple Avenue in Redwood City.
Q
I commute to work alone. How much should I expect to pay to use the Fastrak lane?
AThere's no clear answer here but be prepared for high prices at rush hour. For standard single-occupancy vehicles, express lanes have a minimum cost usually of $0.50 just to enter a Fastrak zone. The price then rises and falls with traffic congestion — a cost structure known as “variable pricing” — with no upper limit
that updates every five minutes.
Stacey Hendler-ross, a spokesperson for the Valley Transit Authority, which is managing 5 miles of the Fastrak lane from Mountain View to Palo Alto said the agency expects prices for solo drivers for the new segment to average out above $2 a trip — but it can be as high as $10 in traffic Armageddon.
“I'll be honest. We don't fully know; that's why we're excited to open (today),” said Matthew Click, a program and policy manager at SMCELJPA, the acronym-laden San Mateo County authority responsible for express lane management. “The truth is we're really going to know in a few weeks.”
For comparison, drivers using the 20-mile express lane on the northbound Interstate 880 paid an average of over $7 in the summer of 2021, according to data provided by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.
QWho gets to use the express lane for free?
A
Vehicles with three or more people and motorcyclists can drive for free on the express lanes.
Just set your Fastrak transponder to three occupants.
QWhat about clean-air vehicles and two-person car pools?
AMotorists with any qualifying clean-air vehicle affixed with a yellow, blue, orange or purple decal will receive a 50% discount. These drivers need to use a Fastrak CAV toll tag transponder, meant specifically for clean-air vehicles. Standard cars with two people are also eligible for half off using a standard Fastrak transponder set to two.
Q
Will the lane save me any time?
A
Express lanes promise speeds of at least 45 mph, although they don't always live up to that commitment. Drivers on I-880 express toll lanes saw average speeds of more than 15 mph faster the other lanes of traffic during July through September of last year.
Share your experience about driving on the new Highway 101 toll lanes with us.
Email ekamisher@ bayareanewsgroup.com.