Politics & Government

Start of 520 Tolls Pushed Again; WSDOT Urges Motorists To Start Good To Go Accounts

Tolls are expected to start "in the summer" says WSDOT, as crews continue to test the tolling equipment. The new tolls were originally expected to start in the spring.

State Route 520 commuters who haven't yet started a Good to Go Account appear to have gotten another reprieve -- the Washington State Department of Transportation now expects tolling to start in July at the earliest, a spokeswoman said.

The state plans to keep testing the equipment on the bridge that will collect the tolls electronically, said WSDOT spokeswoman Janet Matkin.

The tolls, which are variable but includes a $3.50 peak hour toll rate, will help pay for a . Improvements include landscaped lids over portions of 520, a wider roadway, increased carpool lanes, a bicycle and pedestrian lane and environmental upgrades. About $2.37 billion of the amount will be paid through state and federal funding and tolls.

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Tolls will be collected electronically through a Good-to-Go pass installed in cars, or through the mail or over the Internet with information collected from video cameras and license plates. There will be no toll booths.

Tolls were expected to start in April, but the as the state continued to test the tolling equipment on the bridge, which detect the transponders and communicate with the state accounts.

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The delay in the tolls have not affected the construction timeline, which continues. The next complete closure of the bridge will be June 17-20 t. The state will install a new sign for tolling over that weekend as well, Matkin said.

She said that the delays in tolling affects the timeline of repaying off the bonds used for bridge construction.

"So 40 years from now, you'll see that shift of a few months," Matkin said.

Motorists who cross the 520 bridge at least once a month are urged to get a Good-to-Go Pass before July, when the state expects a rush of new accounts, she said.

According to a survey commissioned by the WSDOT, about a third of motorists surveyed who plan to get a Good-to-Go account have already started one. Matkin said about 85,000 people have started their Good-to-Go accounts since the push for the 520 motorists, which means there could be up to 170,000 motorists who might have put it off, she said.

The state is expecting many to open accounts right before the tolls start, which could result in long lines and delays. (A spike in interest as the state launched the Good-to-Go Accounts sometimes caused delays in February and March.)

"We're encouraging people to sign up now, so they don't turn out to be part of that craziness," Matkin said.

The state has a goal of starting 100,000 new Good-to-Go accounts by the start of tolling, she said.


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