Cost To Use Express Lanes Could Be Going Up
By Jeff Todd
DENVER (CBS4) - The cost to use express lanes in the Denver metro area could be going up.
The company that manages the lanes on Highway 36 and Interstate 25 is proposing the toll increases.
"Two years ago the rates were initially set and we've had years of gathering data about traffic patterns," said the CDOT High-Performance Transportation Enterprise Spokeswoman.
The plan to increase the price for using the toll lane was requested by the private side of the public-private partnership that funded the US 36 expansion. Plenary Roads says the price increase is necessary because too many people have been using the lanes.
"We want to make sure everyone in the express lanes, whether you're paying in there as an express toll payer, or carpooler, or on the Flatiron Flyer that you're getting a reliable travel time. We need to do that by setting the right price so we have the right amount of people in the lane, not too many or not enough," Castle said.
Peak toll rates would go up between 15 and 35 cents on average. But in some spots, the price would actually go down. For instance, the morning commute into Denver from Boulder would decrease by 40 cents.
The company says the changes are needed to manage the traffic.
The proposed tolls will be discussed at a Colorado Department of Transportation meeting on July 19, and could be implemented as early as July 34.
Learn more at a special page of CDOT's website.
Jeff Todd joined the CBS4 team in 2011 covering the Western Slope in the Mountain Newsroom. Since 2015 he's been working across the Front Range in the Denver Headquarters. Follow him on Twitter @CBS4Jeff.
