Traffic congestion, climate pressures and shifting travel behaviors are pushing transportation agencies across the country to rethink how they manage mobility. One strategy that has emerged as a viable option is managed express lanes. Once considered a novel approach to congestion management, managed lanes now dominate the modern tolling landscape. A majority of new tolling investments since 2012 have involved managed lanes, underscoring the central role pricing plays in regional mobility planning.
California has long led this evolution. Nearly 30 years after the first modern managed express lanes opened in Orange County in 1995, the state continues to redefine best practices in policy, pricing and operations. The latest example: STV’s selection to provide policy and program management services for the U.S. 101 Express Lanes corridor in San Mateo County, one of the Bay Area’s most heavily traveled corridors. The contract arrives at a pivotal moment, as demand for managed lanes expands across the state, including new projects emerging in Sacramento. Early adopters, such as San Mateo County, have reported strong early revenue performance that can be reinvested in broader mobility improvements.
For Heather Wills, vice president and national tolling director at STV, this assignment reflects not only the rapid expansion of express lane programs but also the increasing need for sophisticated, data-driven management solutions. Wills and her team are helping agencies across the U.S. plan, structure and optimize express lane systems, so that pricing strategies deliver on the twin goals of reliability and equity.
In this interview, Wills discusses the momentum behind managed lanes, what sets California apart and how STV is guiding agencies through the next generation of tolling innovation.
1. Express lanes have been around for nearly three decades. What’s driving their current resurgence and rapid expansion in the United States?
We’re at an inflection point in how states think about mobility. Travel demand is rising in most metro regions, and agencies are seeking solutions that are flexible, fiscally responsible and able to adapt to real-time conditions. Managed lanes – and specifically express lanes – check all those boxes.
It’s important to recognize that managed lanes often face skepticism. The goal is durable public confidence, built on clear benefits, transparency and performance. Acceptance means the public understands and tolerates the system because it delivers clear benefits. This is especially true for both daily commuters and commercial users, who are increasingly considering managed lanes as part of their reliability planning in congested corridors.
When the first managed express lanes opened in Orange County back in 1995, they demonstrated something transformative: pricing could deliver predictable travel times even in the most congested corridors. Fast-forward to today and agencies have refined the model, improved technology and expanded the use cases. That’s why we’re seeing such significant growth. More than half of all new tolling facilities over the past decade have been managed lanes. They are now understood as a core part of a modern highway system, not an experiment.
2. California continues to be a proving ground for tolling innovation. How is the U.S. 101 Express Lanes program building on that legacy?
California is uniquely ambitious in its approach to multimodal mobility, equity and technology. The U.S. 101 Express Lanes corridor is a great example. Beyond raising revenue, it delivers a managed system that improves reliability, supports carpooling and reinvests earnings into broader transportation options.
One of the most significant storylines here is that San Mateo County’s express lanes are generating increasing revenue for the region. That tells us that many users choose the option when it provides measurable reliability benefits, especially when paired with clear equity commitments and reinvestment. Now, the focus shifts to ensuring that reinvestments, whether in transit, operations or equity programs, are transparent and aligned with community needs. Clarity around how revenue is used is essential, and agencies must publish results and demonstrate that funds are reinvested openly and with purpose. Lessons learned from other states show that transparent reporting and public dashboards build trust and support long-term program sustainability.
Our role at STV is to help partners overseeing this corridor develop long-term policy, management and reporting frameworks, so that the system evolves responsibly and sustainably. It’s the next step in California’s tolling evolution.
3. Beyond the Bay Area, we’re seeing new express lane projects emerge in places like Sacramento. What’s behind this statewide trend?
California’s growth is creating new mobility pressures, and express lanes offer an adaptable tool that can be tailored to many different corridor types. Regions like Sacramento are planning their first express lanes because they’ve seen the success in other parts of the state.
But what’s especially encouraging is the focus on access and equity. For example, recent discussions in Sacramento have emphasized user assistance programs and careful design to ensure that pricing does not disproportionately burden certain communities. Equity cannot be an afterthought. It must be designed into the program from the start, shaping policy and operations so that managed lanes serve diverse needs. Express lanes aren’t deployed in a vacuum. They require thoughtful policy, ongoing monitoring and clear communication. That’s where program management becomes crucial.
4. STV’s scope on U.S. 101 focuses heavily on policy and program management. Why is this specialized expertise increasingly essential for agencies?
Managed lanes operate at the intersection of transportation, finance, technology and customer experience. Agencies need partners who can not only support operations but also help them answer foundational questions:
- What are the goals of pricing?
- How do we measure performance?
- How do we report results to the public?
- How do we protect equity while maintaining reliable travel times?
Managed lanes require a clear, transparent value proposition for the public. This means agencies must clearly communicate the purpose of the lanes, ensure predictable pricing, deliver a seamless customer experience and provide transparent reinvestment of toll revenues. Addressing common criticisms, such as confusion around billing, unclear toll rates and lack of clarity on where the money goes, is critical to building credibility. Strong governance and independent performance reporting help maintain trust and long-term program stability.
Policy and program management provide that structure. STV brings national experience in tolling, from strategy to implementation, which helps agencies anticipate challenges, benchmark against peer systems and make decisions grounded in data. As more regions introduce express lanes for the first time, this big-picture guidance is becoming just as important as the engineering itself.
5. Looking ahead, what trends will shape the next decade of tolling and managed lanes?
We’re likely to see three major shifts:
- More corridors are adopting express lanes as the default tool for reliability, especially in fast-growing metro areas, with freight and commercial users increasingly relying on these lanes for predictable delivery schedules and operational efficiency.
- Greater transparency in reporting and governance, as agencies respond to rising public interest in how revenue is generated and reinvested. Consistent publication of results and reinvestment data will be central to maintaining acceptance and trust.
- A stronger emphasis on integrated mobility, where pricing supports not just highways but multimodal networks – i.e., transit, active transportation and zero-emission strategies. Enhanced customer experience, clear communication and robust performance dashboards will be expected features, along with well-defined political guardrails and independent oversight.
STV is already helping clients prepare for this future by aligning policy, technology and operations so they can scale responsibly. The momentum is unmistakable, and the U.S. 101 contract positions STV to support agencies as California continues advancing the next generation of tolling
