Orange County's 91 Express Lanes: A Transportation and Financial Success, Despite Political Problems

This policy brief discusses California's first experiment with public-private partnerships, on a long term basis. Four new express toll lanes were added to SR 91 in California by a private consortium. The consortium project was awarded by Caltrans and it operated under a 35 year franchise. The express lanes project was unique in that (1) it was the first toll road ever to not use toll booths - it used electronic toll collection instead; (2) it enabled 40 lane miles of new highway construction that did not cost the taxpayers one cent; (3) it was the first toll road to manage traffic flow through value pricing, thus guaranteeing that there would not be any traffic congestion at rush hour; (4) it was the first toll road to be privately financed in the 20th century.

• Record URL:
  • http://www.reason.org/pb39.pdf
• Corporate Authors:

  Reason Foundation

  3415 S Sepulveda Boulevard, Suite 400
  Los Angeles, CA  United States  90034
• Authors:
  • Poole Jr, Robert W
• Publication Date: 2005

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Web
• Features: Photos; References;
• Pagination: 4p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Automated toll collection; Express lanes; Financing; Franchises; Long range planning; Peak hour traffic; Politics; Private enterprise; Public private partnerships; Road construction; Road pricing; Toll roads; Traffic congestion; Traffic flow
• Identifier Terms: California Department of Transportation; State Route 91 Express Lanes
• Uncontrolled Terms: Toll lanes
• Geographic Terms: Orange County (California)
• Subject Areas: Finance; Highways; I10: Economics and Administration;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01042435
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: Policy Brief 39
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Mar 1 2007 8:38AM