San Diego's I-15 Value Pricing Project

Abstract

This article presents findings of the Interstate 15 (I-15) Congestion Pricing Project's Business Impact Study conducted by San Diego State University over the project's 3-year duration. The ExpressPass and FasTrak programs offered drivers of single-occupant vehicles the use of I-15 Express Lanes to achieve faster and more reliable travel along the corridor. The Business Impact Study was designed to assess whether businesses recognized and valued the ExpressPass/FasTrak option. Delivery-based businesses or businesses located along I-15 were more likely to perceive themselves as highly dependent on employees or goods and services traveling the corridor. Such businesses were also more likely to regard the ExpressPass/FasTrak program as important and as having a positive impact. The I-15 FasTrak program ranked substantially lower in importance as a factor affecting business performance than such primary factors as supply of goods and labor, price of certain commodities, and tax levels and policies.