The slow motion of government will continue to make for faster travel, as the start of tolling on the Interstate 25 express lanes between Fort Collins and Berthoud has been pushed back a fourth time.
Tolling was first expected to start on the North I-25 Express Lanes Project stretch in mid-summer of 2024, then the end of 2024 and finally the spring of 2025.
The new goal is for tolling to start at the end of 2025, Jared Fiel, Colorado Department of Transportation’s Northeast Region spokesperson, wrote in an email to the Coloradoan.
Why the delays?
“Unforeseen scheduling conflicts,” according to Fiel’s email, citing information provided by the Colorado Transportation Investment Office. That office is an independent, government-owned business within CDOT that has the statutory power to issue bonds and enter into contracts with public and private entities as well as set tolls.
Fiel said those conflicts include equipment delays and coordination of anti-weaving technology
Building an express, or toll, lane in each direction of the 19-mile stretch helped get the project built ahead of schedule. Revenue from the tolls will be used to pay off the loan required to build the $900 million North I-25 Express Lanes Project.
CDOT opened each direction’s two general purpose lanes and one express lane in December 2023, six years after the project kicked off.
The equipment to be installed includes that needed for tolling and anti-weaving technology, including software, cameras and roadway sensors that detect illegal crossing of double solid white lines.
That technology has been used on southern sections of the North I-25 corridor and Interstate 70 in the mountains, resulting in significantly fewer crashes and an 85% drop in illegal crossing of double solid white line violations, according to the Colorado Transportation Investment Office.
Those illegally crossing the double solid white lines can receive a $75 fine.
It took more than two years for tolling to begin on the 18 miles of the I-25 South Gap Express Lanes Project from Castle Rock to Monument. Tolling on that stretch started Jan. 17, 2024. The $419 million project opened in November of 2022.
What tolling will look like on the North I-25 Express Lanes section
When tolling begins on the North I-25 section, the costs will follow the static schedule similar to what is used for other parts of North I-25, Fiel wrote in the email. The static schedule adjusts rates based on normal busy times for the corridor.
More specific tolling costs for the section between Berthoud and Fort Collins will be determined by the Colorado Transportation Investment Office Board as tolling gets closer to starting, the email read.
In 2026, CDOT will begin implementing dynamic tolling along all express lane corridors, which will mean prices fluctuate based on real-time traffic congestion.
Last section of North I-25 Express Lane Project continues
Crews continue to work on the 6-mile extension of the North I-25 Express Lanes Project between the Berthoud exit (Colorado Highway 56) and Mead exit (Colorado Highway 66).
The $400 million to $450 million project began in May of 2024 and is expected to be completed in May of 2028.
When completed, it will for the first time include more than two lanes in each direction on I-25 from Fort Collins to Denver.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: North I-25 Express Lanes tolling delayed for fourth time