FREMONT — Work is scheduled to begin this fall on the Bay Area's first so-called SMART lane, which would let solo drivers pay a fee to use a carpool lane.

The SMART lane, also called an "express" lane, is expected to open in late 2010, serving southbound commuters along a 14-mile stretch of Interstate 680 from Pleasanton to Milpitas, said Ray Akkawi, an engineer with the Alameda County Congestion Management Agency.

Using the same FasTrak technology that commuters now use to pay bridge tolls around the Bay Area, solo drivers will have money automatically deducted from a prepaid account each time they use the carpool lane. Drivers carrying passengers may continue to use the carpool lane for free.

The cost of driving in the SMART lane will range from $1 during nonpeak commute hours to $10 during rush hour, Akkawi said.

Revenue from the program could fund other transit projects in the area. Possible future projects include opening a SMART lane along northbound I-680 or operating express buses, he said.

Caltrans estimates that 70,000 commuters drive on southbound I-680 near Route 84 in the Sunol area and 84,000 motorists are on the freeway near Fremont's Auto Mall Parkway on an average day, Akkawi said.

Individuals who use the SMART lane could shave an average of 17 minutes off their commute from Pleasanton to Milpitas, those involved with the project said. More than 60 percent of the $41.8 million project will be funded

This fall, Caltrans employees will start widening I-680 and making sure the electrical infrastructure is in place for the SMART lane, which is slated to open in late 2010.

Akkawi also is working on plans to open a SMART lane on Interstate 580 from Dublin/Pleasanton to Livermore.

Although SMART lanes have yet to debut in the Bay Area, the express lanes already are in use along Interstate 15 in San Diego and Highway 91 in Orange County.

Reach Linh Tat at 510-353-7010 or ltat@bayareanewsgroup.com. Read her blog postings at www.ibabuzz.com/tricitybeat.