Tolls beginning for I-25 gap Express Lanes starting Jan. 17
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - Starting Jan. 17, 2024, people traveling in the express lane between Castle Rock and Monument can expect to start paying to travel in the express lanes. The rates will vary depending on the time.
Between 6:00 am and 9:00 pm, travelers will pay more to use the express lanes. However, passengers can expect to pay less when they have a tracker installed in their car which will auto-charge an account with ExpressToll or 'AVI' on the chart above.
That account requires a $35 deposit that goes towards tolls incurred all over Colorado but will save a total of 35% on tolls at least, according to the company.
"The purpose of tolling on express lanes is not strictly for the revenue per se. It's so that we can manage the flow of traffic," Timothy Hoover with the Colorado Department of Transportation said.
It's based on a simple economics concept called 'Induced Demand,' according to Hoover.
"The whole idea is that if government subsidizes something that people want, they typically just want more of it," Hoover explained.
He says that simply adding more lanes won't help the traffic congestion on the major thoroughfare. Rather, there needs to be incentives to move efficiently and options for people who need to get places more quickly.
"You can use those lanes and get a reliable trip time so you'll save anywhere from 20% to 50% in time from what you might see in during peak periods in the regular general-purpose lanes," Hoover said.
For now, the fees are higher during the day than they are at night, or the times when the road gets the most use. But over the next year, they hope to install a system that tracks the amount of traffic and raises and lowers the toll fees accordingly.
Hoover warned people to make sure that they don't cross the double white lines. The photo-enforced section will incur a fine of up to $75 if someone is caught doing that.
