3-or-More Carpools to Ride Free on 91 Express Lanes, OCTA Decides

Carpools of three or more people can drive the 91 Express Lanes on the Riverside Freeway free of charge starting next month, except when traveling east during the evening rush hour.

The Orange County Transportation Authority’s board approved the toll relief Monday after weeks of study to determine whether the change would congest the lanes and affect OCTA’s ability to pay the road’s debts.

Carpools with three or more people now receive a 50% discount on all tolls, which normally range from $1 during off-peak times to $4.75 one way during the morning and evening rush hours.

Starting May 19, carpooling motorists will pay nothing unless they travel east from 4 to 6 p.m. on weekdays, and that fee would be half the peak toll of $4.75. The rush-hour fee was included because traffic studies show that’s when the lanes are at or near capacity. Consultants said additional traffic generated by a toll reduction might further congest the lanes, defeating the purpose of the tollway.

Carpoolers who use the lanes must register with the toll lanes and get a transponder. They then pass through a special lane in front of a monitoring booth midway through the lanes.

“We decided to go with carpools of three or more and see how it works,” said Irvine City Councilman Mike Ward, an OCTA board member who heads the toll lanes’ advisory committee. “We will stay with it as long as there is no congestion or traffic problems.”

Ward said the reduction will cost about $1.2 million in lost revenue annually, but the decline is not expected to affect OCTA’s ability to pay the road’s expenses or interest payments on $135 million in bonds sold to finance the road’s purchase.

OCTA, which bought the lanes for $207 million in January from a private firm, estimates they will generate about $29 million a year in revenue.

OCTA also approved $150,000 to explore extending the Orange Freeway 11 miles along the Santa Ana River from the Orange Crush interchange to the San Diego Freeway.

The decision was a compromise stemming from Supervisor Chris Norby’s proposal in March to fast-track a $1.1-million study of the extension.