SEATTLE NEWS ARCHIVES & FEATURES

Tracy’s Traffic Townhall to tackle Highway 99 tolling

Oct 17, 2019, 5:00 PM | Updated: Nov 12, 2019, 10:27 am

Tolling begins on Highway 99 through Seattle on Nov. 9, potentially sending thousands of drivers to alternate routes on downtown surface streets. Are you willing to pay $2.25 in each direction at peak hours?

SR 99 tunnel tolls could send thousands of cars onto Seattle streets

KIRO Radio traffic reporter Tracy Taylor hosts a panel on Thursday, Nov.7 at 12 p.m. to tackle the question of how tolling on Highway 99 will impact the region’s already unbearable traffic. Find the Traffic Townhall streaming live on KIRO Radio on YouTube, simulcasted here on MyNorthwest and KIRO Radio on Facebook.

Tracy’s Town Hall features special guests: Washington State patrol Public Information Officer Rick Johnson, Patty Rubstello, Washington State Department of Transportation Assistant Secretary of Urban Mobility and Access,  Heather Marx is the Seattle Department of Transportation’s Director of Downtown Mobility, Katie Chalmers is Service Planning Supervisor of King County Metro, Chris Sullivan is KIRO Radio’s traffic reporter, and you! You have the opportunity to submit your questions to Tracy ahead of the town hall. Now’s your chance to be heard. Get answers from the region’s traffic officials.

To reach Tracy ahead of the Nov. 7 townhall, please text “TRAFFIC” to 98973 or tweet Tracy at @kirotraffic.

Questions for Treece, Glad, Zimbabwe, Marx, Chalmers, and Sullivan include:

  • What will SDOT do in preparation of tolling and the expected surface street congestion?
  • How will King County Metro work with Seattle DOT on bus routes?
  • How do drivers get a Good To Go pass through WSDOT?
  • How do the tolling rates work?
  • How will WSDOT and Seattle DOT work together to maintain traffic through the tunnel? How will they clear incidents?
  • What’s the status of Sound Transit’s Link Light Rail projects?

Are we missing your burning question? Please text “TRAFFIC” to 98973, tweet Tracy at @kirotraffic, or submit a question below.

Sam Zimbabwe, Director of the Seattle Department of Transportation, was part of the townhall, but the city said on Oct. 22 that he is unable to attend. Bart Treece of the Washington State Department of Transportation and Emily Glad with WSDOT’s Tolling Divisions Communications Manager are also no longer available.

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Tracy’s Traffic Townhall to tackle Highway 99 tolling