520 Tolling Implementation and Open House
November 13, 2008 by Grant
If you have any vested interest in what a toll on 520 might mean to yourself or your business, you should head on over to the public open house that is being held by the 520 Tolling Implementation Committee. An open house is being held today at the University of Washington, Gould Hall, from 3:00pm – 7:00pm, with a presentation at 5:00pm. A similar open house will also be held next Monday, November 17th at the Stroum Jewish Community Center on Mercer Island.
The committee is the official group that has been brought together by Washington State legislatures back in March earlier this year to study and make recommendations back to lawmakers. Heads of the committee include the major movers and shakers of the transportation circle: Bob Drewel of the Puget Sound Regional Council; Paula Hammond, Washington State Secretary of Transportation; and Dick Ford of the Washington State Transportation Commission.
Any commuter that has to cross 520 during the rush hour knows that traffic routinely turns into a crawl during that time. Adding a toll on top of that commute, on the surface, would seemingly add fuel to the fire for frustrated drivers. Unfortunately, the facts are clear that 520 is a rapidly deteriorating and in danger of being a public safety risk.
Going back in time to the aftermath investigations of the Nisqually earthquake in 2001, safety engineers found cracks in the side of the 520 bridge that posed a serious risk and dilemma. Repairing the bridge would could close to $1 billion, while a estimates for a replacement are upwards of $3 billion. Even with repairs however, the bridge was built in 1963 with inherent flaws such as hollow sectioned towers and support cables that would still be highly vulnerable to failure.
To mitigate against natural disasters, the decision was made to build an entirely new 520 bridge, scheduled to open in 2014. Two new HOV lanes will be added in each direction, while a walking and biking corridor will also be added, much like on I-90. Official estimates for the project range between $3.7 and $3.9 billion, though if history is any indicator, estimates are generally on the low side of actual cost. While $2 billion has already been set aside from sources like the state risk pool, gas tax, sales tax and federal funding, the remaining portion will be funded by tolls.
What remains is the issue of how tolls will be implemented. So far, the committee has evaluated a number of scenarios that include:
- Toll 520 in 2010, when construction begins
- Toll 520 in 2016, after project is completed
- Toll 520 in 2010, then I-90 in 2016
- Toll both 520 and I-90 in 2016, after project is completed
- Toll both 520 and I-90 in 2010
A few other options have been recently added to the table, which include varying toll rates between years and areas, though the scenarios above would seem to have the most support. For drivers thinking to simply head to I-90, the State legislature is planning on enacting tolls there as well to ensure that exact scenario doesn’t happen. Currently, toll options being discussed range as low as $2.00 and as high as $10.00.
Variable tolling, similar to Highway 167’s single-occupancy HOV tolls, is also a major topic. The proposal is that during peak hours, tolls will be set at full price, while decreasing at off-peak hours as traffic subsides. The idea is that commuters will change their commuting cycle to avoid peak hours, due to both traffic and higher toll fees.
Tolling is to be done electronically, through electric transponder cards. Local commuters would pre-pay for toll cards, which would be deducted by the system as drivers pass through. As for motorists without a transponder, the current proposal is to have cameras installed to take license plate photos and have invoices delivered to the owner of the vehicle. Though this technology has been implemented on the Tacoma narrows bridge and in varying locales throughout the US, privacy advocates will surely want their say.
At the open house, items such as what parts of 520 to toll, how tolls funds should be disbursed and toll pricing will likely be the hot topics. With the economic crunch, businesses on both sides of the bridge, as well as commuters, will undoubtedly push for lower tolls, as well as limits on tolls remaining in place. That may be where the common ground ends however, as businesses on the I-90 and I-405 corridor will likely push against keeping tolls on their section of the road, while those on 520 will want make tolls universal, in order to prevent motorists from toll hopping away from their businesses. In addition, supporters of mass transit will want to have their say in how toll funds will be used and how to expand service.
For those who cannot make the open house, the 520 committee is offering an online survey through November 30th. To obtain more information, please go to the comittee’s website at www.build520.org.
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