The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) plans to roll out dynamic tolling on two main highway corridors in the coming weeks.
The dynamic tolling, which relies on using vehicle detection technology to determine just how much traffic is on a given stretch of road, will replace the current time-of-day tolling system.
Department of Transportation officials said the move to dynamic tolling in express lanes will help to better manage demand during peak hours to maintain free flow traffic. While it will initially only be used on two main corridors, the switch to dynamic tolling will eventually take effect on all express lanes in the Colorado highway system.
Officials said that toll rates may be updated as often as every five to 15 minutes, and overhead signs will display current toll prices. The department also explained that the price displayed when vehicles enter the express lanes is the price drivers will pay if they have an ExpressToll pass, even if the toll changes while the driver is traveling in the express lanes.
“To keep the flow of traffic moving, expanding dynamic tolling to these two corridors just makes sense,” said Piper Darlington, director of the Colorado Transportation Investment Office, the division of CDOT that owns and operates Colorado Express Lanes.
“The South Gap and the Mountain Express Lanes are two of the most traveled corridors in the state, and we want to do everything we can to help keep Express Lane speeds reliable,” Darlington said. “By transitioning to dynamic tolling and adjusting the tolls based on real-time traffic conditions, we’ll be able to do just that.”
