OCTA approves new tolls for 405 express lanes, where $9.95 could save drivers 18 minutes

If you want a faster commute on the 405 Freeway in Orange County, it’s likely going to cost you, as transportation officials this week approved a series of express lane toll rates to be implemented later this year.

Orange County Transportation Authority board members Monday approved updates to a policy establishing different tolling scenarios for drivers using express lanes on the San Diego Freeway, from State Route 73 to the south to just north of the 605 Freeway.

As such, FasTrak motorists traveling northbound for the entire 13.6-mile segment can expect to pay $9.95 on Friday afternoons, from 3 to 5 p.m., the costliest of 19 different tolling combinations calculated by the agency.

By comparison, the southbound express lane toll for the same portion maxes out at $6.20 with cheaper rates during hours that fall outside the defined peak periods of 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 2 to 7 p.m. on weekdays and from 1 to 7 p.m. on weekends.

Kirk Avila, general manager of OCTA’s Express Lane programs, said the newly proposed toll rates were determined with help from consultant Stantec as a means of updating figures drafted as part of a new 405 Express Lane toll policy adopted in 2016.

“A lot has happened in seven years,” he told board members Monday. “Staff has been working with Stantec on the rates and the policy as Stantec has been collecting traffic volumes along the corridors.”

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July 14, 2023

He said drivers with accounts and transponders will stand to see some significant benefits, saving an average of 18 minutes on the full northbound commute and about 13 minutes traveling southbound.

The newly updated policy includes a 15% discount for clean-air vehicles, toll-free travel for motorcycles, those with disabled or veteran license plates and vehicles containing three or more passengers. Those with two passengers may still use the HOV lane for the first 3.5 years of the new program.

OCTA Chief Executive Darrell E. Johnson explained the idea to charge toll rates dates back to 2015 and coincides with the planning of the I-405 Improvement Project, a vast system of roadway, ramp and bridge improvements that broke ground in 2018.

To fund the improvements, the county took out a $629-million low-interest loan through the federal Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act program. However, Johnson clarified, collecting tolls is not about generating revenue.

“We’re not asking the board today to approve tolls on the 405 — that decision was made more than eight years ago,” he told panelists. “[And] there is no policy adopted by the board to maximize revenue. This is all about traffic relief.”

County Supervisor Andrew Do, who’s served on the OCTA Board since 2015 and was part of a 405 improvement ad hoc committee, said tolling was inevitable as the state identified such a program as a preferred means of alleviating congestion in HOV lanes statewide.

County officials asked Caltrans to allow OCTA to oversee the program, retaining local control over its design and function.

“I am confident that with our knowledge in house and our staff’s diligence we have the right plan in place to allow us to deliver on all of our promises to the public, while delivering also on an easier drive to everyone who travels along the 405,” Do said.