Blitz targets errors in I-15 express lanes

To help educate drivers about express lanes on I-15, the Utah Highway Patrol held an unannounced enforcement blitz the past two weeks to issue citations and warnings to drivers who violated rules governing use of the lanes.

A total of 474 vehicles were stopped, and 714 citations and warnings were handed out. The most common violation was solo drivers who tried to use the lanes for free. Only drivers that carpool, ride a motorcycle, the bus or have an eco-friendly car can use the lanes for free.

Otherwise, the cost to use the lanes is $50 a month. The Utah Department of Transportation opened the express lanes for a fee last fall.

UHP said 216 citations were given to solo drivers using the lanes without a decal indicating payment. Another 82 citations were given to people who crossed into the lanes illegally. Motorists can only cross into the express lanes when there is a dotted white line separating the lanes from regular lanes. The express lanes are otherwise separated from regular lanes with two solid, white lines.

John Njord, director of the Utah Department of Transportation, said in a statement that the fewer people who violate the express lane rules, "the better traffic will flow."

For more information about UDOT's express lanes, log on to expresslanes.utah.gov.