Transportation officials said the improvements should reduce congestion and improve traffic flow, reducing travel time for motorists during rush hour.

California’s FasTrak toll system allows motorists to pay without stopping. FasTrak allows drivers to pay tolls on all toll roads, bridges and highways marked with the FasTrak logo.

Dade, a FasTrak user, said he hopes “these express lanes will reduce traffic on the 10 Freeway” – and maybe give him an extra hour of sleep before work.

Ahead of the busy Labor Day weekend, San Bernardino County Transportation Authority officials announced the opening Wednesday during a press tour of the soon-to-open lanes.

On Wednesday morning, construction workers could be seen using bulldozer-like vehicles to level the surface of the busy highway.

The lanes are part of the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority’s three-phase Interstate 10 Corridor Project.

The first phase, construction of which began in March 2020, is part of a 33-mile section of express lanes that will run from the Los Angeles County-San Bernardino County border to Redlands.

Drivers traveling eastbound on the 10 can use the new express lanes at the following locations:

• The border between Los Angeles County and San Bernardino County in Montclair
• Mountain Avenue in Ontario
• Fourth Street in Ontario

Drivers on the eastbound 10 Freeway can exit in Ontario at Mountain Avenue, Fourth Street, Haven Avenue or Etiwanda Avenue.

Drivers traveling westbound on the 10 can enter here:

• Etiwanda Avenue in Ontario
• Haven Avenue in Ontario
• Fourth Street in Ontario

After that, drivers heading west can exit the 10 at the Los Angeles County-San Bernardino County border, Haven Avenue, Fourth Street in Ontario, or Mountain Avenue in Upland.

Construction of the toll lanes included merging an express vehicle lane and a general-purpose lane, creating new auxiliary lanes to connect on- and off-ramps, and widening walls to improve 18 bridges along the 10, according to a news release from the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority.

Tim Watkins, a spokesman for the agency, expressed enthusiasm for the $963 million project, saying “the public has shown incredible patience during construction.”

Authorities recommend using FasTrak because drivers always pay the lowest toll when using this system.

Motorists can expect to pay the amount indicated on digital signs at each entrance. Transportation officials said prices will vary depending on the highway’s load. Tolls for cars on the express lanes will increase with traffic volume.

To pay for the lanes, a driver must deposit at least $20 into a FasTrak account. Tolls are deducted from drivers’ accounts as they use the lanes.

The lanes also offer a carpool discount. With a FasTrak account and a FasTrak Flex transponder, drivers with three or more passengers in their vehicle can use the lanes for free. A Flex transponder is a small black switch that can be moved to indicate the number of passengers in the car, according to a FasTrak press release.

The project received a $225 million loan from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Build America Bureau and the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act, along with additional federal, state and local funds, a press release said.

The project will not end here, Watkins said.

In 2025, contractors will submit bids for the second phase of the project.

Construction on this phase is scheduled to begin in late 2025 or early 2026. The express lanes will be extended from Etiwanda Avenue in Ontario to Pepper Avenue in Colton.

The third and final phase will extend lanes 12 miles, from Pepper Avenue to Ford Street in Redlands.

There is no date for the start of construction yet, Watkins said.

“It’s going to make a big difference. I really hope the end result is worth waiting for construction after all these months,” said the Dade commuter. “I’m excited… I guess I’ll see it on the way to work tomorrow.”

Current information on express lanes in San Bernardino County can be found here.