The Metro ExpressLanes route along Interstate 10 between the San Gabriel Valley and Los Angeles is scheduled to open Feb. 23. Automobile Club of Southern California members who plan to use the lanes can obtain the required transponders with an exclusive 20 percent member discount either online or at Auto Club branches.
Carpool lanes along I-10 will become ExpressLanes open to both toll-paying solo drivers and carpoolers. An extra lane was specially constructed for this program to keep traffic moving. Another ExpressLanes route along the Harbor (110) Freeway has been in operation since November. All drivers, whether driving alone or in a carpool, are required to have a transponder to use the Metro ExpressLanes.
Transponders obtained at Auto Club branches will have $40 in preloaded toll credit, but members will be charged just $32. Auto Club members can also acquire transponders online with the AAA discount by visiting http://AAA.com/metroexpresslanes. Drivers must activate their transponders after purchase by establishing accounts with Metro.
“The Auto Club is excited to offer an initial discount on ExpressLane tolls to members online and at 80 Auto Club branches throughout Southern California,” said Steve Finnegan, the Auto Club's government affairs manager. “The 110 Freeway ExpressLanes have already become very popular with our members, who so far have purchased nearly 40,000 transponders in Auto Club branches and online.
“We advise members not to wait until the last minute to visit their local branch for a transponder, since they are very popular,” Finnegan added.
The FastTrak transponders available at Auto Club branches can be used for automatic toll payments on all toll roads and express lanes in California, including the 91 Express Lanes and toll roads in Orange and San Diego counties. This program will enable solo drivers to ride on parts of the former I-110 and I-10 carpool-only lanes by paying a variable toll between 25 cents and $1.40 per mile, depending on the traffic congestion in the lanes. Toll rates in other counties differ. Carpool drivers will not be charged tolls to use the Metro ExpressLanes.
For more information about Metro ExpressLanes, visit the project website or read the Westways article on the ExpressLanes project and other Southern California toll lanes.