The Interstate 405 express toll lanes will be free and open to all drivers on nights, weekends, and six major holidays starting at 7 p.m. on Friday, March 18, the Washington State Department of Transportation announced today.
“We worked closely with the Washington State Transportation Commission to determine hours of operation that would maintain reliability for the I-405 commuters making millions of trips in the express toll lanes since they opened last September,” WSDOT Assistant Secretary of Tolling Patty Rubstello said in a press release. “We believe the new hours will still allow us to provide a faster, more predictable trip to transit, carpools and toll-paying customers when they need it most, while balancing traffic across all lanes during off-peak times, like nights and weekends.”
In February, Governor Jay Inslee and the state legislature directed WSDOT to make changes to the I-405 express toll lanes system, including the hours of operations. After careful evaluation, the Transportation Commission voted Tuesday to enact an emergency rulemaking to carry out regulatory changes to tolling policies that the express toll lanes should only operate on weekdays from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m.
“To date, commuters’ experience with the 405 express toll lanes has been a mixed bag – the lanes have resulted in shorter commute times for some drivers and transit users, but for others, the opposite has happened,” Inslee said. “That’s why I announced over a dozen improvements in February that will provide traffic relief including lifting tolls on nights, weekends and holidays, a step that I appreciate the Transportation Commission taking quick action on today. More positive change is on the way. Our new transportation budget funds additional incident response trucks throughout Puget Sound, improved customer service and new capacity on 405 that will help alleviate congestion at some of the worst chokepoints. In the meantime, WSDOT is already moving ahead with other changes such as better striping and access points so we can improve toll lane operations for all users.”
“We appreciate the support of the governor, legislature and WSDOT as we work together to lessen the burden on the driving public of I-405 and the express toll lanes,” said Commission Chairman Anne Haley.
Tips for drivers
• Check the signs: When the signs display the words “OPEN TO ALL” that means drivers can enter the lanes for free without a Good To Go! pass or a carpool.
• Use the designated access points: Drivers must continue to observe the designated access points, and are not permitted to cross the double white lines at any time. Failure to observe these rules may result in a $136 ticket. WSDOT designed an express toll lanes interactive map to help drivers learn the access points and plan trips.
• Direct access ramps are HOV-only during off-hours: Only transit and two-person carpools are permitted to use the direct access ramps at Northeast 6th Street in downtown Bellevue and Northeast 128th Street in Totem Lake. These signs will show HOV2+ NO PASS NEEDED. This means there will be limited exits for drivers traveling southbound through Kirkland and downtown Bellevue due to the restrictions at these two locations. WSDOT is looking at options to improve access in these areas. Weekday toll-paying customers are still allowed to use these ramps, regardless of vehicle occupancy.
• Other tolled facilities operate as usual: The State Route 167 HOT Lanes, as well as the SR 520 and Tacoma Narrows bridges will operate as usual.
The hours of operations change is part one of more than a dozen additional changes to the I-405 express toll lanes corridor to increase capacity and improve operations including:
• New merge-and-weave lanes and hard running shoulders at key northbound I-405 chokepoints near SR 520 and SR 527,
• Improved striping and signage,
• Longer access points that make it easier for drivers to merge into the toll lanes.
“We ask drivers to be patient as we continue to improve the operation of these lanes, and we also appreciate their continued feedback on the system—especially during this transition,” said Rubstello.
Drivers can find information about these changes online at GoodToGo405.org. For questions about Good To Go! accounts or toll bills, drivers should first visit MyGoodToGo.com. Additional assistance is available by calling 1-866-936-8246. Callers may experience longer wait times during this transition.
-from a press release
