Tolls proposed for 520 bridge, pass on I-90
The Seattle Times
June 20, 2006 Tuesday
Fourth Edition
Kayla Webley
Seattle Times staff reporter
The state Legislature will be asked to look at the possibility of installing tolls on some roadways in the state, including Snoqualmie Pass and the Highway 520 floating bridge, according to a study by the Washington State Transportation Commission.
The study estimates a $4 toll at the pass would raise $513 million for construction, plus $3.1 million for annual maintenance. Ordinarily, 27,000 vehicles cross the pass each day.
Money generated by a toll at the pass could help fund a proposed widening of Interstate 90 from Keechelus Dam to Easton, about 10 miles.
“If you want to get the work done up there, which most people agree needs to be done, tolls are worth examining,” said transportation commissioner Dick Ford, former head of the Port of Seattle.
A nearby five-mile project to rebuild I-90 through an avalanche-prone corridor along Keechelus Lake would be funded by $388 million in gasoline taxes.
Before tolls at the pass could become a reality, however, the state would first have to get permission from the federal Department of Transportation because the pass is an interstate thoroughfare.
The proposals are hypothetical, but these are projects the Legislature might consider in the future, Ford said.
Other projects that could see tolls include the 520 floating bridge and bridges on the Columbia River.
Tolls were used in the beginning on the 520 floating bridge to cover the cost of construction. Tolls also are planned for the new Tacoma Narrows Bridge and for the car-pool lanes on Highway 167 between Auburn and Renton.
The proposals on tolls will be discussed at public forums in several cities beginning today.
The forums are designed to inform the public on how tolling could be used. Discussions will also include new tolling practices, and the roadways where tolling may be used. The commission’s recommendations then will go to the Legislature, which ordered the study in 2005.
“We want to get a sense of what the public thinks,” Ford said.
Putting tolls at Snoqualmie Pass was looked at because the majority of people travel the route only a few times per year and might not mind paying a toll, Ford said. He also said tolls at the pass could be a better option than tolls on some commuter routes, such as the 520 bridge, which would have people paying the tolls every day, causing a potential bottleneck if people take the I-90 floating bridge to avoid tolls.
For the study, the commission enlisted public feedback in focus groups, interviews and a survey of 1,118 voters who were also licensed drivers. They found residents generally support tolls if the money collected goes directly to improve the tolled roadway and if there were, for example, alternative free routes.
The report also concludes that the public would support tolls over further raising the gas tax, and tolls are generally seen as fair because those who benefit the most pay the most.
Tolling has changed from the traditional model of staffed toll booths, causing significant delays in travel times. Newer tolling methods include electronic tolling or conversion of existing car-pool lanes to high-occupancy toll lanes, where solo drivers can pay a toll to drive in the car-pool lane.
Staff reporter Mike Lindblom contributed to this report.
Public meetings
Vancouver: today, 5-7 p.m., DOT Southwest Division Building, 11018 N.E. 51st Circle
Mercer Island: Wednesday, 5-7 p.m., Mercer View Community Center, 8236 S.E. 24th St.
Bellingham: Thursday, 5-7 p.m., Hampton Inn, 3985 Bennett Drive
Yakima: June 27, 5-7 p.m., Clarion Hotel, 1507 N. First St.
Spokane Valley: June 28, 5-7 p.m., Center Place, 2426 N. Discovery Place
For more information, visit: www.watollingstudy.com/
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