CHOKEPOINTS

I-405 tolls now increase earlier

Nov 23, 2015, 3:35 PM | Updated: 4:40 pm

Tolls now increase earlier in the day between SR 527 and NE 195th Street. (WSDOT image)...

Tolls now increase earlier in the day between SR 527 and NE 195th Street. (WSDOT image)

(WSDOT image)

And as we were told from the beginning, nothing is set in stone in the new I-405 express toll lanes.

The Washington State Department of Transportation is now making changes to the I-405 toll lanes; one of those is addressing the demand in the southbound I-405 express toll lanes in the morning. Tolls now increase earlier in the day between SR 527 and NE 195th Street.

Related: Lawmaker believes WSDOT is moving ahead on more tolls

WSDOT says, “We’ve seen speeds decrease in the last two weeks as more drivers are using the express toll lane. This week, we started making changes to the toll rate algorithm to help manage traffic better.”

The overall goal of the I-405 express toll lane system is to keep traffic moving at 45 mph at least 90 percent of the time during peak periods.

More I-405 changes could be on the way for Bothell, too. Heavy congestion north of Bothell now starts earlier for the evening commute and builds from there, crawling along from 3:30 to 7:00 p.m.

WSDOT spokesperson, Ethan Bergerson, says, “We are looking very closely at what we can do in this section. The solution may lie in changing the access points, but it is difficult to predict the exact effects of more access and we need to be sure that our actions would create benefits before we make a change.”

And no, you are not crazy; fewer drivers use the I-405 express toll lanes on weekends.

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