September 30

Electronic tolling coming to the 520 Bridge

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Commuters heading from Wallingford to the Eastside will be hit with a toll starting next year. The Washington State Department of Transportation sent out this alert:

In the spring of 2011, all-electronic tolling will begin on the SR 520 Bridge to help pay for the construction of a new, safer bridge. Good To Go! electronic tolling uses technology to keep traffic moving with no toll booths, no stopping, and no slowing down.

Good To Go! account customers can set up prepaid accounts linked to a Good To Go! Pass that is installed in your vehicle or linked to your license plate. Automatic replenishment allows you to never have to worry about running low in your account. Simply link a bank account or credit card to the account and your Good To Go! account is automatically replenished when you run low.

Toll rates will be determined this fall by the Washington State Transportation Commission. The Commission is studying two toll rate options: a lower toll rate for vehicles with Good to Go! accounts and a higher rate for vehicles that receive a bill and pay-by-mail. The Commission also will set toll rates that vary by time of day and on weekends to encourage driving during less-congested periods. For example, rates during weekday morning and afternoon peak periods will be higher than during off peak hours and weekends.

The Commission is following a process outlined in the Washington Administrative Code that will include public hearings this fall that will be well-publicized in advance. Final toll rate decisions are expected to be made by early next year. You can review Commission meeting agendas and minutes, as well as submit your comments about toll rates, at www.wstc.wa.gov .

Starting in early October and continuing next year, Metro and Sound Transit will be adding nearly 130 bus trips a day across the SR 520 bridge. These service enhancements, along with park-and-ride and bus stop improvements, will give drivers an alternative to paying tolls when electronic tolling begins in spring 2011.

Good to Go! passes will be available in mid-January 2011.

More information on the 520 project and tolling can be found here. You can sign up for Good to Go! information and other incentives here.

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  1. I can hardly wait to have a government tracking device in my car that also raids my bank account.

  2. Eh. They've been using FastTrak in San Francisco for years without problems. It's easier than paying cash tolls (which I am assuming you could still do if you want to).

  3. It looks like the first two comments both manage to fail in reading and comprehending the information included in this short article. Wow. The article says that there will be no toll booths, so, no, you can not pay cash tolls. The article indicates that those without “Good to Go!” accounts will “receive a bill and pay-by-mail”. You'll only have a “government tracking device” in your car if you want one; if you do not, you will be billed by mail. The “Good to Go!” system is already in place for HOT lanes on SR 167 and the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. The “Good to Go!” transponder is not connected to your bank account unless you want it to be.

    All of this information is easily found. The willful ignorance in both of these comments is striking and most frustrating.

  4. No need to get a bee up your behind about it, other Guest. Toll booths or no toll booths, the devices themselves (which the first poster was worried about) have been around a while in other places, and haven't had problems with misuse. Which was what Sherly was actually concerned about, had you spent a moment on that reading comprehension thing.

  5. I-90 here I come.

    I see the start of new voter initiatives:

    1. Shall the tolls on SR-520 be removed?

    2. Shall the placement of a toll on any state roadway require the approval of two-thirds (2/3) of the voting public in a statewide election?

    Something to think about . . . .

  6. I still don't understand why motorcycles pay the same rate as cars. The percentage of bikes is so low, plus the emissions and road impact compared to even a small car is minimal. Everywhere else I've lived has a reduced rate for motorcycles?

  7. Road impact might be lower, but motorcycles actually emit more pollutants than SUV's. Since they essentially take up the same amount of space in moving traffic as a small car, I see no reason to give them a discount.

  8. I have started a petition to enact change in the Billing & Customer Service policies for the WA State Department of Transportation “Good To Go” 520 Bridge Tolling program. If you would like to read and sign the petition, I'd be grateful. Please check out the link and sign if you would like to support:

    https://www.change.org/petitio

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