New West Beltway Express Lanes now open

Jacksonville FL — This project was years in the making, and now the new West Beltway Express Lanes opened Saturday morning.

The two new lanes from I-95 to the Buckman Bridge are designed to get you home or to work quicker. You won't be charged until six Monday morning if you use the lanes. The Florida Department of Transportation says they will use "time of day tolling" on the lanes. What that means is drivers will only be tolled during the peak drive time hours and currently FDOT says those hours are Monday through Friday 6AM through 10AM and 3PM to 7PM. Outside of those hours, FDOT says you will not be charged. FDOT says drivers will face a toll of at least fifty cents during those peak drive times on the Express Lanes, but that price will vary depending on congestion. You still have the choice of not using the Express Lanes by staying on the regular lanes of the West Beltway for free.

Hampton Ray with FDOT says now that the Express Lanes are open, all lanes of the interstate should be faster.

“The current corridor you’re seeing behind me, that currently has peak hour speeds at seven miles per hour. With the addition of the Express Lanes, the additional capacity, we expect that to go up to about 20 miles per hour.” Ray says.

They expect peak hour speeds to be around 45 miles per hour or faster in the Express Lanes.

VIDEOS: How to use the I-295 Express Lanes.

All of the tolling will take place electronically, meaning cash and toll-by-plate will not be accepted and you will need to have a SunPass to pay the toll. FDOT says some other transponders like Georgia's Peach Pass and Central Florida's E-PASS will be accepted. You can get a SunPass at SunPass.com or you can find them at Publix, Walgreens, CVS, Amscot or at a AAA location.

There are signs about three miles before you enter the Express Lanes letting you know they’re open and also letting you know how much the current toll price is. He says there will be one Road Ranger standing by for each direction of the West Beltway to make sure any potential problems are fixed quicker and the Florida Highway Patrol is expected to be out in the area patrolling for the next several weeks to make sure traffic flows smoothly.

Vehicles that are over two axles can’t use the Express Lanes, but FDOT says motorcycles can. They say drivers have to use a portable transponder since the sticker option doesn't work right with motorcycle windshields.

Currently, another Express Lanes project is under construction on the East Beltway from Butler Boulevard to State Road 9-B. That stretch is scheduled to be completed this fall.