Utah's electronic payment system goes live on I-15

SALT LAKE CITY — The new white sign above I-15 reads, "Toll: $0.25." A silver Ford Explorer zips underneath, the lone car in the high occupancy vehicle lane. A light behind the sign turns green: the driver's credit card has just been charged.

Utah's new express lane electronic payment system went live Monday, opening up the car-pool lane to solo drivers willing to pay the price. The toll, which varies with the flow of traffic, is deducted from drivers' accounts electronically via transmitters attached to windshields.

"This truly brings traffic into the 21st century," said state Sen. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper, who fought for the $16 million project.

The electronic tolling system replaces a sticker program that required drivers to pay $50 a month for the privilege of using the express lane. Now, with the purchase of an $8.75 transmitter, drivers can pay per use. By using the concept of supply and demand, the Utah Department of Transportation should be able to free up space in general travel lanes during rush hour and keep traffic in the express lanes running at an average speed of 55 miles per hour, said Adan Carrillo, public information officer for the Utah Department of Transportation.

"I hope it works," said Kali Edwards, 28, who commutes from Clearfield to her job as a secretary at the LDS Church Office Building in Salt Lake City. "Nobody likes to sit in traffic."

The cost of cruising on by the congestion ranges from 25 cents to $1, depending on traffic flow, Carrillo said. Monitors have been installed in 36 places on northbound and southbound I-15 from Lehi Main Street to 2300 North in Salt Lake City and Parrish Lane in Centerville to Layton Parkway. Drivers will be charged each time they pass through one of four zones.

Stephenson and other supporters say the new system provides drivers with choice: choice to skip out on rush hour, choice not to let traffic get in the way of other life obligations.

"People are more free to get to their destination when they need to," Stephenson said.

Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Kellie Oaks also believes the electronic tolling system will help officers better enforce car-pool laws, which she said "a lot of people violate." A light mounted behind each of the 36 signs along I-15 flashes green when a driver is properly charged and red if not.

"All we'll have to do is pull up alongside them and check for passengers," Oaks said.

The electronic toll system is not without its critics, however.

According to a Dan Jones & Associates Poll for the Deseret News and KSL-TV, 51 percent of Utahans believe the Utah Department of Transportation should open up car-pool lanes for general use during non-rush-hour times. Earlier this year, Sen. Karen Morgan, D-Salt Lake, unsuccessfully pushed the Legislature to pass a law designed to do just that. Morgan called on the state to halt the electronic tolling project because she believed it was an irresponsible use of money during a time of a nearly $1 billion revenue shortfall.

e-mail: estuart@desnews.com