High-occupancy toll lanes.

Existing law provides that the Department of Transportation has full possession and control of the state highway system. Existing law authorizes the department to construct exclusive or preferential lanes for buses only or for buses and other high-occupancy vehicles. Existing law authorizes a regional transportation agency, as defined, in cooperation with the department to apply to the California Transportation Commission to develop and operate high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes, including administration and operation of a value-pricing program and exclusive or preferential lane facilities for public transit consistent with established standards, requirements, and limitations that apply to specified facilities. Existing law limits the number of approved facilities to not more than 4, 2 in northern California and 2 in southern California, and provides that no applications may be approved on or after January 1, 2012. This bill would delete the requirement that the above-described facilities be consistent with the established standards, requirements, and limitations that apply to specified facilities and would instead require the commission to establish guidelines for the development and operation of the facilities approved by the commission on or after January 1, 2015, subject to specified minimum requirements. The bill would provide that these provisions do not authorize the conversion of any existing nontoll or nonuser-fee lanes into tolled or user-fee lanes, except that a high-occupancy vehicle lane may be converted into a high-occupancy toll lane pursuant to its provisions. The bill would authorize a regional transportation agency to issue bonds, refunding bonds, or bond anticipation notes backed by revenues generated from the facilities. The bill would additionally authorize the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority to apply to the commission for purposes of the above-described provisions. The bill would remove the limitations on the number of approved facilities and would delete the January 1, 2012, deadline for HOT lane applications. The bill would provide that each application is subject to the review and approval of the commission and would require a regional transportation agency that applies to the commission to reimburse the commission for all of the commission's cost and expense incurred in processing the application. This bill would additionally authorize the department to apply to the commission to develop and operate HOT lanes and associated facilities. The bill would also authorize the department to issue bonds, refunding bonds, or bond anticipation notes backed by revenues generated from the facilities.