The daily commute to the South Bay for many residents in and around Dublin, CA is about to get a little bit easier. Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) hopes to open new 237 Express Lanes along the State Route 237 (SR 237) and Interstate 880 corridor by the end of February. The express lanes will help provide reliable travel options to Bay Area drivers during the commute hours. The launch of the 237 Express Lanes could not have come at a better time as the job market heats up in the South Bay.

“The 237 Express Lanes Connector project will provide immediate benefit to all who commute to jobs in northern Santa Clara County, passing through the highly congested 880/237 interchange in Milpitas,” said Congressman Mike Honda. “For many years, this has been a major “choke point” in the daily commute. Having the option to access the express lanes when needed to bypass the congestion could make all the difference in getting you to an important meeting on time, not being charged a late day-care pick up fee, or just starting the day less stressed by your drive to work.”

The express lanes along the SR 237 and I-880 corridor in Santa Clara County are between just south of Dixon Landing Road on I-880 and North First Street on SR 237. As drivers approach an express lane, they will see a series of signs indicating both the upcoming express lane and current tolls. These rates will vary depending on the level of congestion in the express lane.

In late January, new striping was put in place to separate express lanes from general-purpose lanes. The double solid white lines now clearly define a two-foot-wide buffer zone. Crossing the double solid white lines is a violation of the California state vehicle code, and the California Highway Patrol will be enforcing the traffic laws. Violators can expect to pay at least $381 in fines.

The 237 Express Lanes will have limited entry and exit points to provide smoother traffic flow by minimizing merges. Drivers on southbound I-880 can enter the express lane after Dixon Landing Road in Milpitas. As drivers continue on westbound SR 237 toward Mountain View, the double white lines will end after the North First Street exit. Toll-paying drivers will have until Lawrence Expressway to exit the carpool lane.

Drivers traveling on eastbound SR 237 can enter the express lane between North First Street and Zanker Road. The double white line striping begins just after Zanker Road and will continue through northbound I-880, ending south of Dixon Landing Road in Milpitas. Toll-paying drivers will have until Dixon Landing Road to exit the carpool lane.

The express lane tolls will apply at the same time that the carpool lanes are in effect, but westbound SR 237 will have an extended hour of operation from 5:00AM until 10:00AM. Commute hours on eastbound SR 237 will be from 5:00AM until 9:00AM. The afternoon hours in both directions of the express lanes will be 3:00PM to 7:00PM.

While carpoolers can use the express lanes for free, solo drivers will have to pay. Tolls for solo drivers will be collected electronically through the FasTrak transponders. The revenues will remain in the corridor and pay for road maintenance, transit improvement, and enforcement costs.

The first phase of the 237 Expressway project cost $11.8M. Phase II of the 237 Expressway is expected to get underway in 2015.