The Commission has begun Phase 2 of its process for adjusting toll rates and policies for the I-405 Express Toll Lanes (ETLs) and SR 167 High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes. This page provides information on why the changes are coming, the process for doing so, and what the proposed changes will be.
Additional information will be added throughout the process, so please check back for more details in the coming months.
Current Requirements
Under current state law (RCW 47.56.880) the Commission is required to periodically review the I-405 ETLs / SR 167 HOT Lanes toll rates against traffic performance of all lanes to determine if the toll rates are effectively maintaining travel time, speed, and reliability. The performance goal set in law is to maintain speeds of 45 mph 90 percent of the time during peak hours in the ETLs. Additional performance measures include support for transit ridership and general purpose lane performance.
Toll revenues from the facilities are dedicated to the I-405 / SR 167 corridor and may only be used to pay for the facilities’ operating costs, debt service, and to fund projects identified in the corridor’s master plan (RCW 47.56.880 & RCW 47.56.820.)
Phase 2 Overview
With the conclusion of Phase 1 rate setting, the Commission has begun its Phase 2 assessment of toll policies for the I-405/ SR 167 ETL corridor. The Commission will assess current toll rates and toll policies and determine what changes are needed to create one set of rules for the entire corridor which will eventually be 50 miles of Express Toll Lanes.
Possible toll policies to be assessed in Phase 2 will include, but are not limited to:
- HOV policies
- Hours of tolling operation – i.e. time of day
- Tolling on weekends
- Duration of peak periods
- Pay by mail rate
Ways to Comment
Public input will be gathered via the following options:
- Email: transc@wstc.wa.gov
- Phone: 360-705-7070
- Mail: PO Box 47308, Olympia, WA 98504-7308
- CLOSED – Online Open House: Aug. 19 – Oct. 11
- CLOSED – Online Survey: Nov. 18 – Dec. 13