Countywide : Vehicle Size, Weight Will Determine Toll

People who drive a truck, a bus or a car with a trailer will pay more than motorists in single cars to use three tollways in Orange County.

By unanimous votes, the boards of the San Joaquin Hills and Foothill/Eastern Transportation Corridor agencies approved a seven-tier system of charges for the tollways at meetings Thursday in the Santa Ana City Council Chambers.

However, the twin boards won’t set the actual tolls for each class of vehicles for several months.

The first segment, a three-mile stretch of the Foothill tollway near Mission Viejo, is scheduled to open in mid-August.

Officials have speculated that the toll for autos on the initial segment, between Portola Parkway North and Portola Parkway South, may be set at 50 cents.

Greg Henk, tollway construction manager, said vehicle size and weight will be used to set tolls because each type has a different impact on the tollway system.

“Heavier vehicles require a greater thickness of pavement than we would have otherwise,” said Henk. “Longer vehicles also require different design features.”

For example, Henk said, larger vehicles need wider ramps, especially on curves, than autos, and the difference in design and construction costs is significant.

These are the vehicle classifications adopted Thursday:

* Automobile, motorcycle or any two-axle, four-tire truck.

* Any of the above vehicles with a trailer.

* Two-axle buses and two-axle, six-tire trucks.

* Three-axle trucks, single or combinations (big rigs) and three-axle buses.

* Four-axle combination trucks.

* Five-axle combination trucks.

* Six-axle or greater combination trucks.

Construction of private toll lanes in the median of the Riverside Freeway may start this summer.