DENVER — Drivers who break the traffic rules surrounding express lanes on Interstate 70's mountain corridor will face a warning and fines this summer.
The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) announced on Monday that beginning Wednesday, drivers who violate the express lane laws in the mountains along I-70 — which includes using it when it's closed, weaving across solid yellow lines and driving in the lane with an oversized vehicle — will receive a warning in the mail.
But after a 30-day grace period, anybody who violates those rules will be fined. Those “civil assessment penalties" begin July 21, CDOT said. Fines will start at $75 for the first offense if paid within 20 days of receipt. But after that, they increase to $150.
So, how will CDOT identify the violating vehicles? It will use an unnamed, "sophisticated, first-in-the-nation technology system that includes sensors, cameras and software," the department said.
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CDOT spokesman Tim Hoover called it a "game-changer."
"It will not only help us identify and penalize drivers who are endangering themselves and others, we truly believe it will help save lives and make our roads safer for everyone," he said.
The express lanes along the mountain corridor have a few uses. When they are open, they can help relieve congestion during busy times. And when they are closed, they can be used as shoulders for broken down vehicles or emergencies.
But when they are used incorrectly, it's not only illegal but dangerous for everybody on the road, CDOT said.
In 2020, CDOT recorded 47,828 instances of a vehicle using the eastbound express lane when it was closed — roughly 2,000 a month. And that was just one way.
The fines will initially start on the westbound I-70 Mountain Express Lanes from Idaho Springs to U.S. 40 at the exit for Empire. However, it will eventually expand to all other express lane corridors in Colorado, CDOT said.
"We think that enough people will get the message that they have to stop driving unsafely — they have to follow the rules," Hoover told Denver7.
The Colorado Transportation Investment Office (CTIO), an independent, government-owned business within CDOT, reported that it has brought in more than $3 billion in projects over the last five years thanks to express lanes.
The Colorado legislature passed HB 22-1074 in 2022 to allow the CTIO to enforce express lane rules using advanced roadway technology.
