COLORADO, USA — Starting Friday, drivers who use the Interstate 70 mountain express lanes "unsafely" will be issued fines, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) said Wednesday.
CDOT issued 5,640 warnings during a 30-day "grace period" that started June 21, the department said in a news release. Violations included "using Express Lanes when they're closed, weaving across the solid yellow line and driving in the lanes with an oversized vehicle."
The fines will start at $75 and can increase to $150 if they remain unpaid 20 days after being issued; however, the state statute allows a total of $250 for breaking express lane rules, CDOT said.
Although the fines apply only to the I-70 mountain express lanes from Idaho Springs to U.S. 40, they will eventually apply to all express lane corridors in Colorado, CDOT said.
Here are some of the reminders laid out by CDOT:
- I-70 mountain express lanes are narrower than normal lanes, which means they aren't big enough for oversized vehicles such as semi trucks, RVs and vehicles with trailers.
- Express lanes are open only on specific days and should only be used as emergency shoulders when closed – driving in closed lanes is extremely dangerous.
- When the express lanes are open, weaving in and out of the lanes is risky for other drivers who aren't expecting other vehicles to cross solid lines.
- The risk of a crash increases when drivers navigate speed differentials between traffic in the express lanes versus other lanes.
"These civil penalties really boil down to safety," said Tim Hoover, a CDOT spokesman, referring to the fines. "Motorists in violation of these simple rules may think they're saving travel time by driving dangerously or 'outsmarting the system,' but in reality, they're creating life-threatening risks for themselves and everyone else on the road."
According to CDOT, Colorado is allowed to enforce express lanes rules using a combination of roadway sensors, cameras and other sophisticated technology due to HB22-1074, passed by the state legislature in 2022.
CDOT stated that the purpose of the mountain express lanes is to relieve congestion by applying a toll to manage traffic. Studies have shown that the lanes allow for more reliable trip times and time savings ranging between 20% and 50%.
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