Public-Private Partnerships

91 Express Lanes Toll Road

in California

Presented By Group - 5
 Group (5) Members

MPA -5 Mg Shwe Htun

MPA -6 Ma Ei Shwe Sin Htun

MPA -14 Ma Swe Yu Hlaing

MPA -23 Mg Sai Kyaw Han Htoo

(Presenter)

MPA -41 Ma Phyo Wai Win

MPA -49 Ma KhinKhinHtay

MPA -58 Ma Win Thiri

MPA -67 Ma Nyein Thu Han

MPA -76 Ma Yee Yee Mon

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Introduction of California 91 Express Lanes Toll Road

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 California 91 Express Lanes Toll Road

State Route 91 (SR 91) is a major east–west state highway in the

U.S. state of California that serves several regions of the 
Greater Los Angeles urban area. A freeway throughout its entire
length, it officially runs from Vermont Avenue in Gardena.

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) no longer

controls this portion of the highway, as this segment was
relinquished to local jurisdictions in 2003.

SR 91 is part of the California Freeway and Expressway System

, and is part of the National Highway System, a network of
highways that are considered essential to the country's economy,
defense, and mobility by the Federal Highway Administration.

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 Route description

The 91 Express Lanes is a four-lane, 18-mile toll road built in the

median of State Route (SR)-91 between the SR-55/SR-91
interchange and the SR-91/Interstate (I)-15 interchange.

RCTC, in partnership with Caltrans, is building the 15/91 Express

Lanes Connector, which will link the 15 Express Lanes to the 91
Express Lanes.

A new connection will be provided from the eastbound 91 Express

Lanes to the northbound 15 Express Lanes and from the
southbound 15 Express Lanes to the westbound 91 Express Lanes.

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 Route description

The 15/91 Express Lanes Connector is designed to provide a seamless

transition between these Riverside County tolling systems for reliable,
convenient travel for residents of Corona, Norco, Jurupa Valley, Eastvale,
and points north in San Bernardino County, as well as express buses.

The project also will extend both the eastbound 91 outside general
purpose lane and the eastern end of the 91 Express Lanes approximately
one-half mile east to Promenade Avenue to help with vehicle merging in
this area.

During the 1984 Summer Olympics, a 25 km (16 mi) stretch of the

highway was home to the cycling men's road team time trial event.

As the only freeway to link Los Angeles, Orange, and Riverside counties,

SR 91 is one of the most heavily congested routes in Southern California.
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 Billing system

The primary purpose of the toll lanes is to provide a faster output for drivers
due to the congestion the highway experiences during peak hours, and to
promote carpooling.

The toll lanes opened in 1995 and when they opened, it was the country's first
fully-automated toll collection system to feature value pricing.

The 91 Express Lanes consist of two primary lanes in each direction, separated
from the main lanes of the Riverside Freeway with white, 3-foot-high (0.91 m),
plastic lane markers (as opposed to concrete barriers or a similar solid barrier,
or even just double white lines separating many other California HOT lanes).
Entry and exit points for the 91 Express Lanes are only located at their west
and east ends, 7
 Billing system

All tolls are collected using an open road tolling system, and

therefore there are no toll booths to receive cash.

Each vehicle is required to carry a FasTrak transponder. 

The 91 Express Lanes use a variable pricing system based on the

time of day.

The road is not truly congestion priced because toll rates come

from a preset schedule and are not based on actual congestion.

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 Billing system

As of during 2022,
the highest toll rate on the tollway, charged 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm
eastbound on Fridays, is $14.24 to travel the entire length ($8.60 on the
Orange County segment, plus $5.65 on the Riverside County segment). 

The highest toll in the morning rush hour, charged 7:00 am to 7:59 am
westbound Monday to Thursday, is $15.35 ($9.40 on the Riverside
County segment, plus $5.95 on the Orange County segment). 

Carpools with three or more people are charged 50 percent of the posted
toll when traveling eastbound from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm on weekdays, if
they use the designated carpool lane at the toll collection points.

Drivers without any FasTrak tag will be assessed a toll violation

regardless of whether they qualified for the carpool discounts.

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Billing system

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 Billing system
A toll policy is published which states the criteria where tolls will be raised.
The policy is designed to
(a) reduce the likelihood of congestion by diverting traffic to other hours with
available capacity;
(b) maintain free flow travel speed in the 91 Express Lanes;
(c) maintain travel time savings;
(d) accommodate projected growth in travel demand and;
(e) ensure that the toll road generates sufficient revenue to effectively operate the
toll lanes and maintain a strong debt service position.
Changes to the toll schedule require ten days notification to the public and the
OCTA board. Once tolls are changed during the super peak period, they may not
be changed again for six months.
All tolls increase annually due to inflation. Despite this, the toll lanes are
generally free flowing during most peak hour conditions. 11
 Construction of the 91 Express Lanes

As there are very few direct routes between Orange and Riverside counties
because of the Santa Ana Mountains that separate them, the Riverside
Freeway is subject to high traffic volumes, composed primarily of commuters
traveling between their jobs in Orange County and their homes in Riverside
County

Typical peak period delays were 30–40 minutes in each direction in the ten
miles (16 km) of the tollway before construction.

The original section of the 91 Express Lanes operated between the 

Costa Mesa Freeway (SR 55) interchange in eastern Anaheim and the
Orange–Riverside county line, a distance of about 10 miles (16 km).

The project was developed in partnership with the 

California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) by California Private
Transportation Company (CPTC), which formally transferred ownership of
the facility to the State of California prior to opening the project to traffic on
December 27, 1995.
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 Construction of the 91 Express Lanes
Caltrans then leased the toll road back to CPTC for a 35-year operating period.

The lanes have been officially designated a part of the state highway system.

In April 2002, the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) reached an agreement

in concept to purchase the private toll road project for $207.5 million.

The OCTA took possession of the toll road on January 3, 2003, marking the first time the

91 Express Lanes was managed by public officials.

OCTA turned the lanes into the HOT / tollway hybrid that it is today. One of the primary

investors in CPTC, Cofiroute USA, continues to manage and operate the lanes under a

management contract with OCTA.

Opening in 1995, the 91 Express Lanes was the first privately funded tollway built in the

United States since the 1940s, and the first fully automated tollway in the world. 13
 Future Plan
In 2005, evaluations were made about the feasibility of constructing two tunnels
through the Santa Ana Mountains which could carry 72,000 cars per day and
allow for a commuter rail service between Corona and Irvine.

The financial and technical evaluations found that in the current financial
environment, building the tunnels would not be financially or technologically
feasible.

Additional study of the Irvine Corona Expressway tunnel project has been
deferred until such time as financial considerations improve and technological
advancements warrant reexamination.
 
If built, the Irvine-Corona Expressway would follow a similar route to the 91
Freeway and is designed to reduce the growing traffic congestion on SR 91 that
prompted the construction of the 91 Express Lanes.

If completed, the Irvine-Corona Expressway is projected to be the longest traffic

tunnel in North America, approximately 11.5 miles (18.5 km).

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 Future Plan

One tunnel would be a reversible two-lane freeway for autos and trucks, the
direction reversed based on time of day.

It would carry westbound traffic in the morning hours, and eastbound traffic
during the afternoon and early evening hours.

The second tunnel would be slated exclusively for light rail commuter train

service.

The proposed tunnels are opposed by environmental groups, cities in Orange

County near the terminus of the proposed road, and by the Irvine Company,
which believes that the tunnel is not necessary and distracts from short-term
solutions such as freeway widening.

Numerous other projects by the Orange County Transportation Authority are

currently underway or in the planning phases for distant completion, some as
far out as the year 2030.

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