OGDEN — No more free driving in the carpool lanes on the new section of Interstate 15 betwen Layton and Roy — at least for drivers going solo.

The Utah Department of Transportation says tolling will be activated starting as early as next Monday on the northbound and southbound I-15 express lanes in the section, widened as part of a $163 million upgrade to accommodate more autos. The express lanes are the innermost lanes going each direction that are meant for carpoolers, autos with two or more occupants and single-occupant vehicles with Express or Clean Vehicle passes.

I-15 from northern Davis County to the Roy area — more specifically from Layton Parkway in Layton to Riverdale Road in Roy — was widened with the addition of express lanes in the 10-mile section to improve traffic flow and reduce congestion. The actual road improvements were largely completed as of early this year and activation of tolling marks “substantional completion” of the project, UDOT said in a statement.

Up till now, all drivers, solo or not, have been able to use the express lanes in the 10-mile stretch without paying. After tolling is activated, cars with two or more occupants will still be able to travel in the express lanes without Express Passes.

“Construction of this 10-mile segment of the express lanes makes this the longest continuous carpool lane segment in the United States, spanning 82 miles between Spanish Fork and Riverdale,” UDOT said.

For solo drivers with Express Passes, driving in the express lanes costs 25 cents to $2 per zone depending on congestion.

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