The 520 Bridge Toll Is Too High

Jan 5, 2012
Commentary

First of all, I’m all for tolls. It’s a great way to have those that use infrastructure pay for it. But the $5.00 per trip ($3.50 with Good-To-Go Pass) is simply too high and it is causing problems.

Problems

  • People are avoiding 520
  • 520 is now under-used
  • Traffic problems are occurring everywhere else
Seattle Area Traffic Map

Seattle Area Traffic Map

Repercussions

  • The State is not getting the revenue it predicted
  • More gas is being guzzled throughout the region in order to avoid the toll
  • Buses that cross the bridge are overcrowded
  • Increased commute times harm the economy
520 Bridge Traffic January 4, 2012

520 Bridge "Rush Hour" - January 4, 2012

Overflowing

Notice in the screenshot (and above photo) of yesterday’s evening commute. It is usually black (jammed) but here 520 is mostly wide open while I-90 is nearly blocked. And notice the corridors up and down I-5 and I-405 are bumper-to-bumper from those going around.

I-90 Bridge Traffic

I-90 Bridge Traffic


The Solution

The solution is simple: lower the toll.

A lower toll would alleviate much of the pressure building up everywhere else by increasing use of the 520 bridge. And guess what? There’s a side bonus! The state could actually see HIGHER revenue from a LOWER toll. Imagine today 10,000 cars pay an average of $3.50. That’s $350,000. Now, what if the toll were lowered to $1.00 and the state actually gets the 40,000 crossings they predicted? That would be $400,000 in revenue. So a lower toll would increase revenue while reducing traffic throughout the region.

Let’s make it happen. Like this article on Facebook, email it to your friends, contact your city council, DOT people, and/or State representatives.

Benefits of Toll Reduction

  • Much more affordable
  • Reduced traffic build-ups around the region
  • Increase in revenue for the State

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Comments (2):

  1. Reply
    Ballard Guy said:
    January 5, 2012 at 9:24 pm

    Well said!! It’s, literally, high-way robbery. (*snicker*)

  2. Reply
    Jon said:
    November 20, 2012 at 7:09 pm

    The toll was 35ยข when it first opened, and that paid it off 5 years early!

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