Why WA won’t waive southbound I-405 tolls during Revive I-5

We’re almost three weeks into the five months of Hell, and the traffic patterns have settled in.

Without the I-5 express lanes open in the southbound direction during morning commutes, the backups start just before 6 a.m.

First, at the forced merge in Northgate, eventually extending to the Edmonds exit. That has eased a bit this week, with the backup now starting around N. 175th Street in Shoreline. The commute is running 20-25 minutes longer than it did with the express lanes open in the southbound direction.

What we also see is a lot of Snohomish County drivers are choosing to use southbound I-405 out of Lynnwood. That has created an earlier-than-normal backup, which eventually turns into a bumper-to-bumper grind from Lynnwood to SR 522.

This has created a commute that is running 25-30 minutes longer than normal.

The I-405 express toll lane is now hitting the $15 maximum about 45 minutes earlier than normal most mornings. It now hits that mark before 7 a.m. and stays that way for longer each morning.

Many drivers have asked whether the state can waive the tolls on southbound I-405 to ease the financial burden on people using the freeway to avoid southbound I-5. The tolling division told me it has the authority to suspend tolling on I-405 only if something affects the general-purpose lanes. That’s not the case in our current situation.

“Revive I-5 is not an emergency, and WSDOT does not have the authority to suspend tolling in this way,” the tolling division told me in a statement. “The express toll lanes are used to help manage congestion and provide a more reliable trip when drivers need it the most; that need is even greater now with the additional vehicles opting to use I-405 while I-5 is reduced through Seattle. Toll revenue collected on I-405 is also an important funding source for current and future construction projects on the corridor, and ongoing preservation and maintenance.”

So this is our life going forward. What we’re seeing today will likely be the new “average” going forward until Revive I-5 takes a break for the World Cup. Ninety-minute trips from Everett to Seattle or Bellevue, without any crashes or stalls, and $15 tolls.

My best advice remains: Off-shift your commute by an hour, if you can, and the earlier you go, the better.

Chris Sullivan is a traffic reporter for KIRO Newsradio. Read more of his stories here. Follow KIRO Newsradio traffic on X.

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