Tolling begins on new I-680 Express Lanes in Contra Costa County

I-680 Express Lanes from Martinez to Walnut Creek begin tolling

People driving in the Express Lanes on I-680 between Martinez and Walnut Creek will have to begin paying tolls to use the lanes.

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. - Tolling operations began Friday morning for a new 11-mile express lane on southbound Interstate Highway 680 from Martinez to Walnut Creek.

The express lane starting at Marina Vista Boulevard in Martinez will charge tolls from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays and connects with a previously existing 11-mile express lane on southbound Highway 680 from Rudgear Road in Walnut Creek to Alcosta Boulevard in San Ramon.

To use the express lane, drivers need to have a FasTrak toll tag, and carpoolers need a FasTrak Flex toll tag set to the 2 or 3+ position. People driving by themselves can pay half the price of the toll if they have an eligible clean-air vehicle and a FasTrak CAV toll tag, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.

Tolls change for the lane depending on levels of traffic on the highway. Digital signs above the lane will display the rate, which drivers pay for each toll zone they enter, with five zones in all on the 22-mile stretch from Martinez to San Ramon.