![]() ![]() Growing traffic on the express lanes also led CPTC to begin charging HOV-3+ vehicles to use the facility at a discounted rate. While the lanes were popular, continued traffic growth in the corridor lead to worsening congestion levels on the parallel general purpose lanes. ![]() It was also just the third toll facility to be implemented on a P3 basis in the Interstate era. The 91 Express Lanes became one of the world’s first fully-automated toll facilities, with tolls collected only electronically, and pioneered the concepts of variable pricing and premium service lanes in the U.S. Construction of the new lanes began in mid-1993 after financing for the project was arranged, and the new facility opened to traffic in December 1995. The introduction of tolling to the project also triggered additional environmental reviews, which were completed in 1991, and sparked controversy, including two lawsuits that were successfully resolved. In 1992, CRSS’s majority interest in the CPTC was purchased by Peter Kiewit Sons, Inc., and Cofiroute SA, a French toll road operator Granite Construction also joined CPTC as a limited equity partner and the construction contractor for the project. The contract also included a non-compete clause that prohibited capacity improvements to the parallel general purpose lanes on SR-91. Under the agreement, while CPTC maintained control over the toll rates, CPTC’s rate of return would be capped, with any excess profits to be split equally between Riverside and Orange counties. CPTC and Caltrans were able to successfully negotiate a build-transfer-operate franchise agreement for the project, which was awarded in December 1990. The CPTC-then a subsidiary of architectural firm CRSS-proposed to Caltrans to construct the planned SR-91 HOV lanes as express toll lanes under the AB 680 legislation. AB 680 also allowed private concessionaires to identify specific projects where a private facility would perform favorably. The legislation authorized Caltrans to grant easements, issue permits, and lease those facilities to the private entities for up to 35 years. In 1989, the California legislature enacted AB 680, which authorized Caltrans to enter into agreements with private entities for the construction of up to four toll projects around the state that would supplement existing state-owned transportation facilities. However, after gaining the necessary environmental clearances, the project stalled due to controversy over HOV lanes, and its funding was redirected to other projects. With traffic and congestion levels on the SR-91 freeway increasing sharply in the 1980s, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) proposed building a four-lane High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) facility in the median of the highway in order to increase capacity in the corridor. OCTA contracts with Cofiroute USA (one of the original partners in the CPTC) to operate the express lanes. In 2003, the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) purchased the operating franchise for the 91 Express Lanes from CPTC, and the lanes were returned to public control. The express lanes were originally developed under a long term public-private partnership (P3) concession by a private consortium, the California Private Transportation Company (CPTC), opening in 1995. Three person car pools receive a 50 percent discount during weekday afternoon peak periods, and may use the lanes for free at other times. The toll rate schedule is adjusted quarterly. ![]() The 91 Express Lanes feature a fixed-schedule variable toll structure, with rates varying between $1.45 and $9.85 based direction of travel, day of the week, and hour of the day. There are single points of access and egress on each end, with no intermediate entrances or exits. The facility consists of two lanes in each direction, which are separated from five general purpose lanes in each direction by tubular markers. The 91 Express Lanes are a 10-mile, four-lane express toll-lane facility in the median of SR-91 in Orange County, California, extending eastward from the SR-55 interchange near Anaheim to the Riverside County line. ![]()
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