Bay Area Express Lanes

Bay Area Express Lanes give drivers a choice to save time by paying a toll and reward carpoolers with the same time savings at a lower cost. To learn how to benefit from Express Lanes, visit expresslanes.511.org.

Bay Area Express Lanes:

  • Reward high occupancy vehicles
  • Improve enforcement to reduce carpool lane violations
  • Provide a choice to solo drivers to pay for a faster trip

 

Bay Area Express Lanes

Learn about how Express Lanes work, toll exemptions, pricing, enforcement and more.

Bay Area Express Lanes website
A freeway lane marked with "Lane Express"
FasTrak & Express Lanes

Learn how to get and use a toll tag for non-stop travel through Bay Area toll booths and access to Express Lanes.

FasTrak website
Express Lane Sign at dusk

Free Rides, FasTrak® & Tolls

Carpools, buses, motorcycles and eligible clean air vehicles pay half-price tolls or travel toll-free with a FasTrak® Flex or FasTrak CAV toll tag set in the proper position.

Solo motorists can choose to pay tolls to use Express Lanes, but must have a FasTrak transponder. Overhead electronic signs display the toll rates. As traffic increases, tolls increase. And as traffic decreases, tolls decrease.

To use Express Lanes, get your Bay Area FasTrak and go.

Where are the Express Lanes?

The growing Bay Area Express Lanes network is made up of more than 155 lane-miles, including:

  • Interstate 580 through Dublin, Pleasanton and Livermore
  • Interstate 680 southbound from Sunol to Milpitas (currently operating as an HOV lane until mid-2022)
  • Interstate 680 southbound from Martinez to San Ramon and northbound from San Ramon to Walnut Creek
  • Interstate 880 between Oakland and Milpitas
  • State Route 237 between Milpitas and San Jose
  • US-101 between Whipple Avenue in Redwood City and State Route 237 in Sunnyvale
  • State Route 85 from US-101 to Grant Road southbound and from Moffett Blvd. to US-101 northbound

Future additions to the network include:

  • Interstate 680 north from Milpitas to Sunol
  • US-101 between Whipple Avenue and Interstate-380
  • Interstate-80 between Red Top Road and Interstate-505

Learn more when you visit the Bay Area Express Lanes website.

Partnership

Bay Area Express Lanes are operated by:

  • MTC
  • Alameda County Transportation Commission
  • Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA)

Additional partners helping to develop, implement and operate Bay Area Express Lanes include:

  • FasTrak
  • California Highway Patrol
  • California Department of Transportation (Caltrans)
  • Contra Costa Transportation Authority
  • San Mateo County Express Lanes JPA
  • Solano Transportation Authority
  • Valley Transportation Authority

Express Lane Planning

MTC is always planning new ways to improve Bay Area commutes and decrease traffic congestion.

Learn about planning for MTC Express Lanes.

Carpooling on Express Lanes
Understanding Tolls