Tolls to Be Raised to Reduce Traffic on 91 Express Lanes

ANAHEIM — Rush-hour slowdowns on the year-old 91 Express Lanes have prompted the road’s operators to announce a toll increase of 25 cents to $1, aimed at thinning the crowd.

Traffic on the 10-mile toll road has become so thick at peak hours that drivers can’t always maintain freeway speeds, said Greg Hulsizer, general manager of the California Private Transportation Co., which built and operates the road. Thus, the company can’t always keep its advertised promise of a 20-minute shave off their commute.

“We’ve been pleased and surprised at the continued level of growth,” Hulsizer said. “One would have expected that there would be some leveling off in time, but the demand continues to be there.”

The operators, therefore, announced Tuesday that tolls will increase in amounts depending on day and time, beginning Jan. 1.

The announcement came just two weeks short of a year after the route--touted as the world’s first fully automated toll road--opened along the center of the Riverside Freeway from the northern tip of the Costa Mesa Freeway to the Riverside County line.

However, the company also announced a new discount for frequent users. Under that program, commuters may pay a flat fee of $15 a month to receive a discount of 50 cents per trip. Thus, they will begin saving money after the 30th trip.

Another change is that the maximum toll on major holidays will be $1.

For most occasional weekday users, however, the new toll schedule will mean increases of about 25 cents on trips that now cost from 25 cents to $2.50, depending on direction and time of day. And weekend users will pay an extra 50 cents to $1 per trip.

About 25,000 cars now travel the road per day, Hulsizer said.

The public response “has been stronger and more widespread than we anticipated,” Hulsizer said. “We are meeting all of our financial obligations, and traffic continues to grow on a monthly basis.”

He said the company has sold about 70,000 transponders, the small electronic devices that attach to a car’s windshield allowing the driver’s account to be automatically debited. In addition, he said, the recent opening of the San Joaquin Hills Transportation Corridor has generated the sale of another 55,000 transponders, which can be used on either road. And hundreds more transponders are being sold each week.

“We knew that at some point we would have to adjust our tolls in relation to increasing demand,” Hulsizer said. “This is the first we’ve had to do it.”

He said he could not predict if and when the tolls would be increased again.

“If the lanes continue to move toward being more congested, we will have to take another look at our toll schedules,” Hulsizer said. “We may adjust them annually or, if necessary, more often--what we’re trying to do is stay ahead of the curve.”