The Harbor Transitway is utilized by the J Line, a bus rapid transit route operated by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

The most visually striking part of the project were the 2.6 miles of viaducts that elevated the transitway directly above the regular freeway traffic.

On this section of freeway, buses travel in the general-purpose lanes and make stops at new stations on the shoulder at Carson Street and Pacific Coast Highway.

[1]: 3  The project also built the off-highway Harbor Beacon Park & Ride in San Pedro, originally intended to be a transit center for the city.

During the planning stages, Metro proposed to Caltrans that the transitway be extended from its terminal at 37th Street north for a more direct connection with Downtown Los Angeles or El Monte Busway.

[3] Because most of the buses traveling on the Harbor Freeway served commuters' needs, service was frequent along the corridors during the weekday peak hours but infrequent during other times.

The new higher frequency service would be funded by converting both corridors into high occupancy toll (HOT) lanes, to be branded as the Metro ExpressLanes.

The Silver Line began operations on December 13, 2009, with Metro planning to refurbish the aging stations along both corridors over the coming years.

[12] Usage of the Harbor Transitway has significantly increased with the implementation of the J Line,[13] with ridership across the entire route reaching 19,277 boardings a day in February 2020.

[14] Transit Access Pass (TAP) card ticket vending machines were added to most stations (except Carson and Pacific Coast Highway) in early 2017 to support all-door boarding on the J Line.

[17][18] The difference between the Harbor Transitway and the El Monte Busway is that the latter charges two-person carpools the posted toll during peak hours.

Busway bus lines originate from Downtown Los Angeles and El Monte, with final destinations in Disneyland, and Disney California Adventure Park located in Anaheim, Knott's Berry Farm, Artesia, Fullerton, Gardena, Hawthorne, San Pedro and Torrance.

The driver, 51-year-old Stephen Lubin of Sun Valley, was traveling 80 miles per hour (130 km/h), 15 mph (24 km/h) over the freeway's posted speed limit, in his 2009 Honda Fit as he entered the station and encountered a bus stopped at the platform.