That's HOT! High Occupancy Toll Lanes Open On 110 Freeway

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Drivers in Los Angeles County are now able to pay to cruise along the Harbor (110) Freeway.

The Metro ExpressLanes covering 11 miles of the 110 opened to motorists at 10 p.m. Saturday.

KNX 1070's Ed Mertz reports that the High Occupancy Toll Lanes (or HOT for short) run from the 91 Freeway to the Adams Boulevard off-ramp.

The tolls will range from 25 cents to $1.40 a mile with a maximum fee of $15.40 depending on traffic conditions throughout the day.

Those with a transponder for other toll roads will not be required to purchase a second.

However, the purchase of a transponder will be required for all others wishing to use the High Occupancy Toll lanes.

Andrea Fujii, reporting for CBS2 and KCAL9, said the HOT lanes will be heavily monitored.

Just after the lanes opened, Fujii said traffic on the lane was light, "only about a dozen cars so far."

And she also reports if traffic does not maintain a 45 mph pace, the HOT lanes revert back to HOV lanes.

The move is part of a one-year pilot project by Metro. A similar experiment is planned along 14 miles of the 10 Freeway in the San Gabriel Valley early next year.

For more information about the transponder (30,000 have them) and how to sign up, click here.