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The I-75 Express Toll Lanes Concept

The I-75 Express Toll Lanes provide the revenue source that will generate dedicated funding to allow the expansion of I-75 beyond six lanes much sooner than waiting for traditional funding sources to become available. With demand on I-75 projected to exceed currently funded capacity, the Express Toll Lanes are an opportunity to provide needed highway lane capacity much sooner than traditional funding allows.

In addition, the Express Toll Lanes will be managed so that they remain free-flowing at all times. This is a proven approach that has been shown to work even during periods of very high demand on existing express toll facilities in the United States. Express toll lanes give travelers a choice. When time is important, the express toll lanes provide a reliable congestion-free trip. When time is less important, the general purpose lanes are always an available no toll option. Time savings for any particular trip will depend on the length of the trip and the amount of congestion. Using a typical trip from Naples to Southwest Florida International Airport (20 miles on I-75 to Alico Road), a times savings of 15 to 20 minutes or more, could likely be expected during congested times, particularly as traffic continues to increase.

The SWFEA’s traffic and revenue consultant and Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise (the State’s tolling agency) concurrently conducted evaluations on a variety of lane configurations for the expansion of I-75 to 10 lanes. Both studies concluded that 10 lanes will be needed on I-75 to meet Southwest Florida’s growing traffic demands. Both studies also concluded that the best configuration to generate sufficient tolls to finance the 10-lane configuration and best serve future traffic is four (4) general purpose (non-tolled) lanes on the outside and six (6) tolled express lanes on the inside (a 44-foot multi-modal envelope will be maintained in the median consistent with State policy). This configuration allows the public a choice to travel in the four (4) general purpose (non-tolled) lanes or pay a toll to travel in the six (6) express lanes.

To efficiently finance the project while effectively meeting our area’s growing traffic demand, the sections of I-75 with the heaviest traffic volume will be expanded to 10 lanes first. The SWFEA Consultant and Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise have both recommended initially financing/constructing 10 lanes on I-75 from Immokalee Road to Alico Road. This 10 lane section will be complete by 2015.

Tolling The Two New Lanes In 2010

The SWFEA and the Lee County Board of County Commisioners voted to pursue the tolling of the two new inside lanes upon completion. This will start a revenue stream that would allow SWFEA to immediately begin the design, finance and construction process to further accelerate building the ultimate 10 lane section.

The Florida DOT budgeted $470 million to six-lane 35 miles of I-75 from Golden Gate Parkway to SR 80. The project included interchange improvements at Immokalee Road and Daniels Parkway. Project bids were opened on February 23, 2007, and the project bids for the entire 35 miles exceed the budget. The $470 million budget will support 30 miles of six-laning from Golden Gate Parkway to Colonial Boulevard and includes improvements to the Immokalee Road interchange. The SWFEA will pursue bonds to complete the six-laning of I-75 from Colonial Boulevard to SR 80 (a distance of five miles) as well as constructing the Daniels Parkway interchange improvements. The SWFEA will pursue the use of tolls generated from the two new inside lanes to fund a “quick response” road ranger/tow trucks to efficiently remove vehicles after a traffic accident to minimize the impact of incidents.

Open Road Tolling

All toll collections will be electronic using open road tolling. There will not be toll booths on I-75! Motorists will likely use SunPass or LeeWay transponders that are already in use throughout the state. To make it even easier to participate, the Florida DOT is considering a new, lower cost sticker transponder that can be easily purchased and replenished using either cash or credit at major retailers.

The Florida DOT also has a “Pay by Plate” pilot program underway. This program captures a picture of a vehicle’s license plate and sends a bill for the tolls to the owner of the car. This type of system is already in use in Canada and Australia, and is planned for other facilities.

Additionally, third party vendors have signed agreements with the Florida Turnpike Enterprise to provide the rental car fleet in Florida with transponders. The vendor is responsible for paying the toll and then collecting from the rental car customer. This type of system is already in use in the northeastern U.S.