Drivers using Express Lanes to quickly navigate the interstates through Colorado’s Rocky Mountains can expect to pay more or less depending on traffic, under a new “dynamic tolling” system coming later this fall.
Colorado’s Department of Transportation said in a news release that the new tolls will be similar to current rates based on the time of day, ranging from $1.50 to $4.75 on the South Gap segment of Interstate 25 between Monument and Castle Rock and up to $9 on the Mountain Express Lane segment of westbound Interstate 70 between the Veterans Memorial Tunnels and Empire.
However, starting later this fall, the tolls will be adjusted for traffic volume rather than fluctuating predictably, with higher tolls designed to minimize traffic in the Express Lanes during peak hours.
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The agency said in its release that toll rates could be updated as often as every five to 15 minutes, with overhead signs indicating current toll prices for drivers with ExpressToll passes. License plate fees will still apply for drivers without passes.
“To keep the flow of traffic moving, expanding dynamic tolling to these two corridors just makes sense,” Piper Darlington, director of the Colorado Transportation Investment Office, which owns and operates Colorado Express Lanes, said in the release.
“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.”
CDOT began rolling out dynamic tolling earlier this year on I-70, including the 10 miles of express lanes between Interstate 25 and Chambers Road. The agency said in its release that it hopes to expand the pricing system to include all express lanes in the state.
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