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RIVERDALE — Traveling along new northbound and southbound express lanes of I-15 will soon cost you if you're driving alone.
The Utah Department of Transportation will begin tolling for recently added lanes from Layton Parkway to Riverdale Road beginning Monday, agency officials say. That means motorists must have an Express Pass or Clean Vehicle Pass to drive in the lanes unless there are multiple occupants in the vehicle. Buses, motorcycles and emergency vehicles can use the lanes without a pass.
UDOT spokesman Mitch Shaw explained that the lanes were recently constructed and toll regulations weren't enforced over the first few months since they opened. The agency is giving the heads-up now, to avoid any confusion next week, though there will also be signage in place informing drivers that they are in an express lane.
"As the lane has been open over these past several months, it's been a general-purpose lane. People could come in and out of it as they please," he said. "Now, on Monday, the tolling system (will be) activated, so ... if you're a single occupant, you're not going to be able to travel in that lane any longer, unless you have one of our express lane passes."
The cost of driving in either lane ranges from 25 cents to $2 per zone, depending on congestion at the time. Anyone caught violating the express lane rules can face fairly significant fines, which start at $337, according to Shaw.
With the new 10-mile stretch in place, UDOT express lanes now span 82 miles, from Spanish Fork to Riverdale — the longest continuous carpool lane segment in the country, according to the agency. UDOT says the long stretch is important for keeping the freeway running as efficiently as possible.
"Essentially, it's going to improve traffic flow and decrease congestion," Shaw said. "We're giving priority to people who are carpooling. ... It's just kind of an extension of something we've been working on for a long time now, which are the express lanes."
