First Stretch of New I-15 Express Lanes to Open Sept. 22

I drive Interstate 15 every day commuting to work in Rancho Bernardo. Luckily, I go the opposite direction than most of the morning and evening commuters, or else my commute would be terrible. That's because the I-15 corridor is one of San Diego's most congested freeways, with workers traveling from North County and Riverside County down south to their jobs in San Diego.

For the past year, I've been watching the progress of the major construction occuring along the 15, wondering how the new extension of the existing high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes was going to operate. Ramps were rising out of the middle of the freeway, and the concrete widened to gargantuan proportions.

Well, my wondering is going to be over as a new 4.5-mile section of I-15 Express Lanes will open on Monday, September 22, officials from SANDAG and the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) recently announced. The new segment of the four-lane “expressway within a freeway” will stretch from SR 56 to Rancho Bernardo Road. In a few months, another 3.5 miles will open, extending the project north to Centre City Parkway in Escondido.

Caltrans Director Will Kempton said the lanes will accommodate carpools, vanpools, and buses for free. Single drivers will pay a fee. The project promises to reduce peak commute time traffic congestion in the main lanes, Kempton said.

The I-15 Express Lanes will feature four express lanes, direct access points for entering and exiting, and priority access for carpools, vanpools, and Express Buses via a Direct Access Ramp. Solo drivers using FasTrak will take advantage of a special introductory 50 cent toll for the new segment. Metropolitan Transit System Express Bus service will begin using the lanes on September 29.

Funded in part by TransNet, the region’s half-cent sales tax for transportation, this $1.3 billion project will stretch 20 miles along I-15 from SR 163 to SR 78 when completed in 2012.