In less than two weeks, Redondo Beach commuters who travel the 110 Freeway to get downtown will be able to use the new Metro ExpressLanes, which replace the freeway's current carpool lanes.
The I-110 ExpressLanes are scheduled to open Nov. 10.
All drivers—whether solo or in a carpool—who utilize the I-110 ExpressLanes stretching between 405 Freeway and the 5 Freeway before downtown Los Angeles must have a FasTrak transponder, according to the official Metro ExpressLanes website.
ExpressLanes will determine the toll for the car by a switch on the FasTrak transponder. To use the ExpressLanes, drivers must indicate the number of occupants in the car (one, two, or three-plus) by using a switch on the FasTrak transponder before the trip begins.
Tolls for single drivers on the I-110 will be calculated using congestion pricing, which adjusts the amount of the toll in accordance with how many people are using the freeway.
"Tolls on the ExpressLanes are based on real-time traffic conditions and vary according to the level of congestion in the ExpressLanes," according to the ExpressLanes website. "The toll is higher when there is more traffic in the ExpressLanes, and lower when traffic is lighter."
The toll will be automatically deducted from a driver's FasTrak account once the vehicle passes the start of the toll segment.
Carpools of two or more people using the ExpressLanes on I-110 will not be charged a toll.
The carpool lanes on the 10 Freeway will be opened as ExpressLanes in early 2013, according to Metro. On the I-10 ExpressLanes, use of the lanes will be free to carpools with three or more people. Carpools with two or more people must pay the toll at certain hours of the day.
FasTrack accounts can be opened online or at a walk-in center.
Revenues generated from the tolls will be used to operate and maintain the ExpressLanes, according to an FAQ on the ExpressLanes website. The toll lanes on I-110 and I-10 combined are expected to bring in about $20 million annually.
It's not considered a fee or a tax because use of the toll lanes is strictly voluntary. People do not have to use the ExpressLanes—they can stay in the normal freeway lanes.