Completed in 2012 and in partnership with Caltrans, the I-15 Express Lanes provide 20 miles of flexible travel between State Route (SR) 78 in Escondido and SR 163 in San Diego. It was constructed in three segments: the north segment between Centre City Parkway and SR 78 opened in 2012; the middle segment between SR 56 and Centre City Parkway opened in 2008; and the south segment from SR 163 and SR 56 opened in 2011.
High-occupancy vehicles (HOVs), like carpools and vanpools, and transit services, like Rapid, use the express lanes for free.
For a fee, single-occupancy vehicles can also travel on the express lanes using the FasTrak electronic tolling system.
The I-15 Express Lanes have been nationally recognized for their innovative designs. This first section of a regional system of interconnected express lanes offers many benefits:
- Five Direct Access Ramps (DARs) and 16 other access points give travelers a wide range of options of where to enter or exit so they can easily reach their destinations.
- Transit stations located near the DARs support improved public transit options.
- The barrier in the middle of the express lanes is moved Monday through Thursday mornings so three southbound lanes provide congestion relief for rush hour commuters.
- Motorists have round-the-clock access in both north and south directions.
The total cost for the improvements, including expansion of FasTrak and the transit elements of the I-15 Express Lanes, was $1.4 billion from federal and state funds and TransNet.
Completion of the I-15 Express Lanes and its associated transit station and DAR projects also put in place the infrastructure necessary for Rapid bus routes, which launched in June 2014 and are operated by the Metropolitan Transit System (MTS).