Adding Highway Vehicle Capacity With Tolls
Some highways are carrying more than twice the number of vehicles for which they were designed. The cost of building enough highway lanes to meet the current and growing need is not always practical in crowded urban settings.
As our economy and population continue to grow, so does the time we spend in traffic. WSDOT is testing whether tolls can help maximize the number of vehicles able to use our existing highways.
Under this HOT "high occupancy toll" lane scenario, drivers may opt to pay a toll to travel in designated lanes when there is space available, and benefit from a faster trip. This, in turn, makes room in general purpose lanes as vehicles move to tolled lanes. A current example would be the SR 167 HOT lanes pilot project.
Alleviate Highway Congestion with Toll Usage
During the afternoon commute in the Central Puget Sound region, some lanes are so crowded that they move only 1,000 cars per mile per hour – half of what they are designed to move – because too many people flood onto them at the same time. This capacity diminishes further when an incident occurs, such as a breakdown or collision.
A toll that varies by time-of-day is one way to manage the existing highway system. Higher toll rates during peak commutes promote trips outside the peak traffic times, and encourage drivers to choose alternative commuting options.
For more information regarding congestion in the Western Washington, visit the congestion web page.
Tolls can help finance major transporation projects
Construction of new facilities, such as bridges, is typically financed through bonds which must be repaid. Historically, tolls have been used in Washington state to pay for 14 bridges constructed with bonds. The most recent example of this financing strategy is the new Tacoma Narrows Bridge that opened in July 2007. Bond payments for the new Tacoma Narrows Bridge are expected to continue through 2030.