ALAMEDA COUNTY (KRON) — Much-needed relief for drivers who commute through the dreaded Tri-Valley corridor is here.
The new eastbound express lanes are now open up along Interstate 580 from Dublin to Pleasanton..
The westbound lanes are set to open on Monday.
Drivers KRON spoke to said they endure several painful hours on the road a week. The traffic just gets awful on 580, drivers said.
But soon, a reprieve is coming along the eastbound side of I-580.
Signage on the overpasses now warn that the express lanes are coming up. It is a 14-mile stretch from Dublin through Pleasanton.
Drivers who choose to use the lanes will be billed through FasTrak. On the eastbound side, there will be two express lanes.
On the westbound side, there will be only one. And the westbound lane won’t open until Monday morning.
But it is not going to be a cheap ride on the express lane.
The cost depends on the time of day you use these lanes and for how long you use them.
The maximum cost during peak commute hours on the eastbound side will be $9.
Once the westbound side opens, the max will be $13.
And that price goes down the less time you spend in the lanes.
Still, if it saves time, many drivers said they will give it a try.
“I think it’ll be awesome,” driver Chris Clark said. “People can catch a coffee on the way to work without having to jump all the way off and back on.”
Others had a different opinion.
“I don’t know, I’m probably not going to use them because they’re pretty expensive when I drive, so…it’s exciting for people who can afford it,” driver Natalie Morales said.
The express lanes will be free for carpoolers though. You will just have to swap out your FasTrak transponder with a FasTrak Flex toll tag.
The Flex tag allows you to hit a switch on the back, allowing drivers to notify FasTrak if they’re driving solo or carpooling. You can buy toll tags at Costco, Safeway or even Walgreens stores in this area.
These lanes will be operational Monday through Friday from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m.