Toll lanes — similar to what can be found in the Bay Area — may be coming to the daily commute in South San Joaquin County.
The managed lane project for Interstate 205 that would add a fourth travel lane in each direction between its junction at Interstate 5 in Lathrop to the Grant Line interchange west of Tracy.
Congressman Josh Harder, D-Tracy, secured $250,000 in the federal appropriations package approved Feb. 3.
The new federal funding will help pay for planning and design work.
The San Joaquin Council of Governments project is currently in the environmental study stage.
The managed lane options include:
*Restricting use to carpools, busses, vanpool, and motorcycles during critical commute times.
*Possible allowing single occupancy vehicles pay a toll collected via Fast-Trak to use the lane to pass traffic congestion based on dynamic pricing during times when the lane use is restricted.
The managed lane project will span 15 miles.
“This is a huge win for the tens of thousands of Central Valley super commuters who are already spending hours in the car every single day,” Harder said.
“Our communities deserve safer roads and better commutes, and this is an important step toward delivering on that goal. I’m committed to continuing to bring more federal funding back to the Central Valley for critical infrastructure projects that improve our community.”
Super commuters are defined by those that spend at least 90 minutes traveling either to or from places of employment.
Three of the top five super commuter regions in terms of the number of people making such drives to each pay checks are in California.
Stockton-Modesto is second on the overall list of regions with the largest share of long-distance commuters behind New York-Newark-Jersey City in the No. 1 spot.
That said, Stockton-Modesto in the last decade has seen the greatest increase in super commuters.
Rounding out the top five list are Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, and then San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward.
Harder credited SJCOG Board of Directors’ leadership and its San Joaquin One Voice advocacy in Washington, D.C., for highlighting the need for funding of the project.
“This is great news for our region and everyone who travels along I-205 between the San Joaquin Valley and the Bay Area,” Stockton Mayor and SJCOG Board Chair Christina Fugazi said.
“I want to thank Rep. Harder for helping SJCOG to fund this project and opening the door to other federal funding opportunities. This is possible because the SJCOG Board made this project a regional priority. These results showcase just how effective we are when we use a unified voice.”
Managed lanes have been successfully used to reduce congestion and increase travel time reliability by controlling the way traffic moves on the highway.
Dedicated lanes allocated for cars with two or more people (High-Occupancy Vehicle, or HOV), like carpools and buses, and qualifying clean air vehicles are one way lane management helps keep traffic flowing.
Another example of lane management is to charge a fee or toll to solo drivers who choose to use the dedicated lane which helps pay for maintenance and construction of the lanes and other transit investments.
To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com
