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Caltrans trims Highway 101 HOV hours
Ever crawled on Highway 101 while a nearby lane looked wide open? Caltrans heard that frustration loud and clear in Marin and Sonoma counties. After heavy pushback, the agency shortened the carpool rules on a 52-mile stretch.
New signs now show the lane is restricted southbound from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and northbound from 3 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Outside those windows, it is open to general traffic. The change took effect Monday, March 2, on the same 52 mile corridor whose continuous HOV lanes opened on September 29, 2025.
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Why Caltrans changed course on Highway 101
When the expanded lanes launched in October, the carpool window ran from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. That meant long “HOV only” hours even after buses and carpools thinned out. Drivers said it felt like paying a traffic fine on an empty stretch of pavement…