What are Express Lanes?
An express lane is a lane to be used by high-occupancy vehicles (HOVs) and motorcyclists for free, AND by non-HOV vehicles that pay a toll with a FasTrak transponder.
The VTA Silicon Valley Express Lanes Program has been authorized for two corridors, including the SR 237 and SR 85 / US 101 freeways. See SR 237 Express Lanes Project, SR 85/US 101 Express Lanes Project (Phase 3), SR 85/US 101 Express Lanes Project (Phase 4) or US 101 Express Lanes Project (Phase 5) to learn more.
In March of 2012, VTA began operation of Santa Clara County’s first express lanes on the SR 237/I-880 corridor. In the August 2014 SR 237 Express Lanes Fiscal Year 2014 Update to the VTA Board of Directors, it was noted that the SR 237 Express Lanes have served over 1.3 million toll paying vehicles, about 120,000 vehicle hours of travel time savings have been gained in the corridor and $2.5 million has been generated since it opened for tolling. The 880-237 Express Lanes currently in operation can save a driver approximately 14 minutes when traffic in the general purpose lanes is backed up.
In December 2019, VTA completed the extension of the SR 237 Express Lanes to near Mathilda Avenue in Sunnyvale. The third phase of the program, which includes the US 101 corridor and a small portion of SR 85 opened in February 2022.
The VTA Express Lanes Program comes at a crucial time as Santa Clara County prepares for a 38% growth in population and a 62% increase in jobs (approximately 555,000 new residents and 445,000 new jobs) in the period between 2010 and 2040 while funding for transportation improvements is limited.
Benefits
- More efficient use of existing roadways
- Provides a new, reliable travel option
- Travel times improve in all lanes
- Dynamic toll pricing helps limit overcrowding in express lane
- Provides a new revenue stream tor transportation and corridor improvements (California Streets and Highways Code Section 149.6[e][3])
VTA is participating in the region's planned 550-mile network of express lanes. For a regional perspective, please visit the Metropolitan Transportation Commission's Bay Area Express Lanes webpage.
Bay Area Toll Payment Plan
Bay Area FasTrak® now offers a payment plan program for eligible individuals with outstanding bridge or express lane toll debt. This plan exists to help people with low income get out of debt and start fresh. For eligibility information and application, please visit https://www...
What are Express Lanes?
An express lane is a lane to be used by high-occupancy vehicles (HOVs) and motorcyclists for free, AND by non-HOV vehicles that pay a toll with a FasTrak transponder.
The VTA Silicon Valley Express Lanes Program has been authorized for two corridors, including the SR 237 and SR 85 / US 101 freeways. See SR 237 Express Lanes Project, SR 85/US 101 Express Lanes Project (Phase 3), SR 85/US 101 Express Lanes Project (Phase 4) or US 101 Express Lanes Project (Phase 5) to learn more.
In March of 2012, VTA began operation of Santa Clara County’s first express lanes on the SR 237/I-880 corridor. In the August 2014 SR 237 Express Lanes Fiscal Year 2014 Update to the VTA Board of Directors, it was noted that the SR 237 Express Lanes have served over 1.3 million toll paying vehicles, about 120,000 vehicle hours of travel time savings have been gained in the corridor and $2.5 million has been generated since it opened for tolling. The 880-237 Express Lanes currently in operation can save a driver approximately 14 minutes when traffic in the general purpose lanes is backed up.
In December 2019, VTA completed the extension of the SR 237 Express Lanes to near Mathilda Avenue in Sunnyvale. The third phase of the program, which includes the US 101 corridor and a small portion of SR 85 opened in February 2022.
The VTA Express Lanes Program comes at a crucial time as Santa Clara County prepares for a 38% growth in population and a 62% increase in jobs (approximately 555,000 new residents and 445,000 new jobs) in the period between 2010 and 2040 while funding for transportation improvements is limited.
Benefits
- More efficient use of existing roadways
- Provides a new, reliable travel option
- Travel times improve in all lanes
- Dynamic toll pricing helps limit overcrowding in express lane
- Provides a new revenue stream tor transportation and corridor improvements (California Streets and Highways Code Section 149.6[e][3])
VTA is participating in the region's planned 550-mile network of express lanes. For a regional perspective, please visit the Metropolitan Transportation Commission's Bay Area Express Lanes webpage.
Bay Area Toll Payment Plan
Bay Area FasTrak® now offers a payment plan program for eligible individuals with outstanding bridge or express lane toll debt. This plan exists to help people with low income get out of debt and start fresh. For eligibility information and application, please visit https://www.bayareatollpaymentplan.org/
Managed and Tolled Lanes Feed Specification
VTA has proposed a Managed and Tolled Lanes Tolling Feed Specification (MTLFS) in an effort to establish an open data format that the managed lanes and toll industry can follow, enabling creative application development by the private and public sector.
Learn more about the proposed specification on Github and check out this demonstration prototype showing real-time toll data from our 237 Express Lanes.
Privacy Policy
VTA is committed to ensuring customer privacy and security. Read the VTA Express Lanes Privacy Policy.