The 91 Express Lanes have helped millions of users who count on reliable, time-saving trips to spend less time in traffic and more time doing the things most important to them, while helping mobility for all
ORANGE – Thirty years after the 91 Express Lanes first opened to drivers as the nation’s first privately operated toll road, the Orange County Transportation Authority is marking the anniversary of a transportation milestone that has transformed mobility along one of Southern California’s most critical travel corridors.
As part of the 30th anniversary celebration – and as a thank you to the drivers who rely on the 91 Express Lanes – OCTA is hosting a limited-time promotion:
- Between Dec. 21 and Jan. 3, OCTA will randomly select 30 users who travel the Express Lanes in Orange County (and are 91 Express Lanes account holders in good standing) to receive a $100 credit applied directly to their accounts for future trips on the Orange County segment of the facility. Simply driving the express lanes with a 91 Express Lanes transponder will enter users for a chance to win the credit (to be applied in January). View official rules at 91ExpressLanes.com.
Originally launched as a pioneering public-private partnership on Dec. 27, 1995, the 91 Express Lanes introduced the world to all-electronic tolling and congestion-management pricing. Just over seven years later in January 2003, OCTA purchased the 10-mile facility in Orange County, ending a private non-compete clause and shifting the once-experimental project into a highly successful public operation that continues to serve as a national and global model.
Since opening, drivers have made approximately 397 million trips on the 91 Express Lanes, underscoring the facility’s enduring role in providing a faster, more predictable option for commuters navigating the heavily traveled SR-91 corridor.
And since 2006, OCTA and its partners have invested more than $2.2 billion in toll revenue for improvements throughout the SR-91 corridor, enhancing freeways, interchanges, local streets, and transit options that benefit everyone who travels through the 91 corridor whether or not they choose to take the Express Lanes.
“As we celebrate 30 years of the 91 Express Lanes, we recognize how this groundbreaking project has evolved to meet the demands of a growing region,” said OCTA Chair Doug Chaffee. “When OCTA took ownership in 2003, it allowed us to enhance mobility for all travelers along the 91 corridor. Today, the Express Lanes continue to deliver reliability for drivers while generating vital funding to improve transportation.”
OCTA’s 2003 purchase of the 91 Express Lanes for approximately $208 million eliminated restrictions that had prevented improvements to the adjacent general-purpose lanes. With those barriers removed, OCTA and the Riverside County Transportation Commission (RCTC) began making long-needed upgrades to one of the region’s busiest travel corridors.
The 91 Express Lanes were the first in the world to fully deploy electronic transponders and congestion-based pricing – strategies now widely adopted across the country and internationally. Under OCTA’s leadership, the system has continued to earn praise for financial stability, operational excellence, and its ability to adapt to changing regional travel needs. The lanes maintain strong credit ratings, including an AA- rating from S&P Global Ratings.
The success of the Express Lanes in Orange County also spurred the $1.4 billion extension by RCTC in 2017, adding 8 miles of tolled capacity into Riverside County and further improving travel reliability for the region.
“OCTA’s partnership with RCTC has been essential to delivering solutions that reflect how people travel throughout the region for work, school, and family,” said OCTA CEO Darrell E. Johnson. “The Express Lanes have become a model for how strategic investments and regional collaboration can support a better everyday experience for drivers.”
For more information on the 91 Express Lanes, visit 91ExpressLanes.com.
To learn more about how toll revenues are reinvested along the corridor, visit octa.net/91TollsAtWork.
