Gov. Inslee to announce changes to the I-405 corridor
Feb 15, 2016, 11:12 PM | Updated: May 6, 2016, 11:14 pm
Drivers could see major changes coming to I-405 and its controversial express toll lanes, but the exact changes are still unknown.
Governor Jay Inslee is expected to announce changes to the I-405 corridor on Tuesday at a 12:45 p.m. press conference.
Related: WSDOT admits traffic is worse on I-405 after express toll lanes
Now, depending on who you ask, the toll lanes are either a wild success or an epic fail, but one thing we know for sure, people are paying the up to $10 maximum rate to use the new lanes.
Washington state has taken in $3.7 million from tolls between September and the end of 2015 — that’s around triple the amount officials expected. The state also recently admitted that I-405 traffic is worse on the weekends and in the afternoons on the north end of the corridor out of Bothell.
So are the toll lanes really speeding up drivers or are they slowing them down?
A recent analysis by Kirkland-based traffic firm INRIX sides with the “epic fail” camp when it comes to commute times on I-405. Using data from drivers, the company confirmed congestion has worsened since the express toll lanes opened. The Washington State Department of Transportation has disputed the study, saying the sample size was not accurate and drivers are cutting down their commutes by as much as 14 minutes by using the express toll lanes.
And WSDOT is not alone. A University of Washington professor, who is often hired to to dive into WSDOT’s data, has also refuted INRIX’s findings.
If Inslee does suggest modifications to the freeway, it would be yet another state official coming forward with ideas for change. Rep. Mark Harmsworth, R-Mill Creek, submitted a bill this session that would have instructed WSDOT to make certain fixes to I-405. The bill was touted as having bipartisan support, but it was killed in committee. State Democrats then came forth with their own suggested fixes — much of which copied Harmsworth’s effort — and sent a letter to WSDOT asking the department to look into making them happen.
And now, Gov. Inlsee could be entering the discussion.
Possible changes to I-405 could include: driving on the shoulder to alleviate north end traffic, dropping weekend and night fees or adding greater access to the enter/exit portions of the toll lanes.
