Transportation  July 20, 2015

Tolling to begin on U.S. 36 express lanes Wednesday

Tolls will be collected starting Wednesday on a stretch of new U.S. Highway 36 express lanes as part of the Colorado Department of Transportation’s expansion project.

The $318 million first phase of the project, between Interlocken Loop in Broomfield and Federal Boulevard, was the first to be completed, and the new lanes have been open for several weeks, but the tolls will begin Wednesday. The second phase, carrying a $179 million price tag, will extend the expansion west to Table Mesa Drive when completed in 2016.

The price will range from $1.25 to $6.70 for single-occupancy vehicles to use the lanes depending on the time of day and whether a driver has set up a prepaid account. As with travel on the Northwest Parkway and E-470 tollways, drivers can order a transponder and start the account with an initial balance of $35, and when that balance falls below $10, they will receive a prompt to replenish the account. If they don’t purchase the account, they’ll be billed via license-plate recognition — although those tolls will be higher because of the extra cost of photographing the plates, linking them to addresses and mailing out the bills.

Two types of transponders are available. One of them allows drivers to switch between a toll setting when they’re alone in the vehicle and a free setting when they’re carrying at least one passenger. In January 2017, however, they’ll need to be carrying at least two passengers to use the lanes free of charge. The other one, targeted at drivers who don’t carpool, is the familiar one-setting “ExpressToll” type already in use on the other tollways.

Motorcyclists can use the toll lanes for free, but they need to get a transponder as well.

CDOT is urging trucks and other large vehicles to use the free lanes. If they use the express lanes, vehicles with four or more axles face a $25 surcharge per toll point, no matter how many passengers are in the vehicle.

More information is online at us36expresslanes.com. Transponders can be ordered and prepaid accounts set up at expresstoll.com.

Tolls will be collected starting Wednesday on a stretch of new U.S. Highway 36 express lanes as part of the Colorado Department of Transportation’s expansion project.

The $318 million first phase of the project, between Interlocken Loop in Broomfield and Federal Boulevard, was the first to be completed, and the new lanes have been open for several weeks, but the tolls will begin Wednesday. The second phase, carrying a $179 million price tag, will extend the expansion west to Table Mesa Drive when completed in 2016.

The price will range from $1.25 to $6.70 for single-occupancy vehicles to use the lanes depending…

Dallas Heltzell
With BizWest since 2012 and in Colorado since 1979, Dallas worked at the Longmont Times-Call, Colorado Springs Gazette, Denver Post and Public News Service. A Missouri native and Mizzou School of Journalism grad, Dallas started as a sports writer and outdoor columnist at the St. Charles (Mo.) Banner-News, then went to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch before fleeing the heat and humidity for the Rockies. He especially loves covering our mountain communities.
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