Over the last few years, you may have noticed cameras and roadway sensors popping up along Express Lane corridors in Colorado.
These cameras and roadway sensors are all part of Colorado’s Express Lane Safety and Toll Enforcement Program. The Colorado Transportation Investment Office (CTIO), the government-owned business within CDOT that oversees Colorado’s Express Lanes, launched the Safety and Toll Enforcement Program in the summer of 2023. The program and all Express Lane rules are in place to keep drivers safe and to keep traffic flowing along Colorado’s Express Lane corridors as efficiently as possible.
What Express Lane rules are being enforced?
There are a few differences in which rules are enforced where, however, the main rule that applies to all tolled Colorado Express Lanes is: No weaving.
- Cross the line, pay the fine: We’ve all been there – a driver gets fed up with the crawling traffic of the general purpose lanes and jumps into the Express Lanes, over the solid line, to bypass traffic. What may seem like a simple decision is incredibly dangerous and illegal as cars traveling in the Express Lanes are not anticipating someone crossing into their lane in an unauthorized area and may not be able to slow down or react in time, leading to a crash.
- This “weaving” behavior, into or out of an Express Lane over a solid line, is a safety hazard that frequently causes rear-end and sideswipe crashes, as Express Lanes regularly have significant speed differentials compared to general purpose lanes. Enter and exit through the dashed lines at designated points only.
In addition to weaving, drivers on the I-70 Idaho Springs to Empire Express Lanes in the mountains may also receive a civil penalty for driving in the lane with an oversized vehicle (more than two axles, 25 feet or longer, or trailers) or driving in the Express Lanes when they are closed.
Designated entrance and exit points
On some Colorado Express Lane corridors, specific entrance and exit points are marked by a dashed line paired with a solid line or with an entrance or exit lane designed to help vehicles merge. In these instances, drivers should follow posted signs and roadway markings and only enter or exit at designated points. If they enter at an exit-only point or exit at an entrance, this is considered a violation, and they will receive a civil penalty.
What happens if you violate these rules?
Violators identified by cameras and sensors along tolled Colorado Express Lane corridors will receive a $75 civil penalty via mail based on the registered address of the vehicle’s license plate. If not paid within 20 days, this $75 fine will jump up to $150.
Does the program work?
The goal of the program is to keep drivers safe by enforcing Express Lane rules and data shows it is working! In the past two years, rule violations on the Express Lane corridors have decreased by 90%. This means crashes avoided and lives saved as drivers correct their behavior and stay in their lane when using the Express Lanes.
In addition, more than 80% of drivers caught violating an Express Lane rule don’t violate again, indicating a sustained behavior change that will only make our roads safer.
Where is the Safety and Toll Enforcement Program Active?
Since its initial rollout on the I-70 Idaho Springs to Empire Express Lanes in the summer of 2023, the Safety and Toll Enforcement Program has expanded to all tolled Express Lanes and will eventually be active on all Colorado Express Lanes. An easy way to remember is if tolls are in effect, so is the Safety and Toll Enforcement Program. Active corridors currently include:
- C-470: I-25 to Wadsworth Boulevard
- I-70: Idaho Springs to Empire
- I-70: I-25 to Chambers Road
- I-25: Monument to Castle Rock
- I-25: US 36 to E-470
- US 36: Federal Boulevard to Table Mesa Drive
Avoid a fine and keep yourself and others safe while driving through Colorado by following the Express Lane rules!
Safety Enforcement Video: 30 seconds
