Specific lane tolling from Redwood Metropolis to South San Francisco begins | Native Information

The freeways of San Mateo County Highway 101 from Whipple Avenue in Redwood City to Interstate 380 in South San Francisco will open to all FasTrak users on Friday.

The lane was softly opened in October when no charges were collected during the testing period, but lanes are open for testing to 3+ HOV users and commuter buses.

Friday is the first loading day for anyone with a FasTrak transponder. There will be dynamic pricing along the entire 22-mile corridor in both directions, using the same rules as the southern section of the 101 Express lanes. Dynamic pricing means that the price to use the lane increases or decreases depending on congestion. A system monitors tolls and increases or decreases them to keep traffic flowing. According to SamTrans spokesman Mahmoud Abunie, the highest prices depend on how far people travel and how busy the traffic is. He also pointed out that an average toll isn’t always an accurate way to predict prices, but the average southbound toll was $3 in November.

A FasTrak or FasTrak Flex is required to use the express lanes, with drivers only requiring a toll tag in the vehicle. Carpools of more than 3 people, van pools, buses, and motorcycles can use the lane for free with a FasTrak Flex or FasTrak CAV toll tag. Two-person carpools and drivers of clean air vehicles can receive a 50% toll reduction. Single drivers pay the full toll.

The San Mateo County express lanes operate Monday through Friday from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. Outside these times, the lanes are accessible to all drivers free of charge. Anyone entering the fast lane during operating hours without FasTrak will receive a Violation Alert at the address of the registered vehicle.

The project created 22 miles of freeways in San Mateo County off Highway 101 to connect to freeways in Santa Clara County. Caltrans added one lane in both directions on Highway 101 from Whipple Avenue to Interstate 380 in South San Francisco, the northern section, with the left-most lanes converted to express lanes. Construction of the northern section began in February 2020. A southern section runs from the San Mateo County and Santa Clara County lines to Whipple Avenue in Redwood City and is complete. For the past few months, Caltrans teams have been testing toll devices and signals in the northern section of the borough in preparation for the opening.

The freeways are managed by the San Mateo County Express Lanes Joint Powers Authority. The six-member Joint Powers Authority consists of three board members from the San Mateo County Transportation Authority and three board members from the San Mateo County City/County Association of Governments.