Major lane closures on I-405 before tolling can begin

Lanes are blocked on I-405 so that road crews can put the finishing touches on toll lanes before they open on Sunday.

Tell us about your chokepoint

Only two lanes are open on I-405 between I-90 in Bellevue and Northeast 195th in Bothell until the Express Lanes open on Sunday afternoon.

Closure details:

&#8226 Two lanes in both directions of I-405 will remain open between I-90 in Bellevue and Northeast 195th in Bothell.
&#8226 All Northeast 6th direct access ramps will be closed.
&#8226 All Northeast 128th direct access ramps will be closed.
&#8226 During late evening and early morning hours, I-405 may be reduced to one lane in each direction at SR 520 and SR 522.

“This is going to allow us to finish up all the striping and make sure all the systems are good to go for the Express Toll Lanes launch on Sunday,” said Travis Phelps with WSDOT. “So a lot of work to do. We have 250,000 drivers that use this corridor every day on the weekend so we are looking for some help from drivers to keep this moving.”

Related: Law enforcement ready to crack down on I-405 cheaters

Patty Rubstello, with WSDOT’s tolling division, said everything is on track to open tolling Sunday.

“We’re feeling really good about it,” she said. “We’ve tested everything. We’ll be doing more testing this weekend. We’ll be following the striping crews making sure that toll equipment is working properly. I think we’re ready this weekend.”

The wildcard in all of this is the driver, the people who will be using the lanes. How will you handle the double white lines, the restricted access to the HOV lanes, and getting the right passes?

“We are definitely are seeing a lot of people calling the customer service center, coming in to our walk-in centers, getting the Flex Pass,” Rubstello said. “I think people know it’s coming … It’s a lot of different things. There isn’t any one particular thing people are struggling with.”

While crews are wrapping up the project, drivers are also faced with a Husky game on Saturday and a Seahawks game on Sunday.

Need to know:

Rates in the new toll lanes, set by the Washington State Transportation Commission, vary between 75 cents and $10 and are based on how many drivers choose to use the lanes. The rates increase as more drivers enter the lanes to manage volume and keep traffic flowing at 45 miles an hour or faster, according to WSDOT. The rates will decrease with lighter volumes.

Related: How to use new I-405 Express Toll Lanes if you’re a motorcyclist

Cars with three passengers are considered High Occupancy Vehicles and will not be charged for using the lanes.

Toll rates are expected to range from 75 cents and $4 per trip. They’re deducted from Good to Go accounts.

WSDOT says the collected revenue will be used to maintain the tolling system. Any additional funds will be used for future improvements to the I-405/SR 167 corridor.

Cheaters

Drivers have questioned how troopers can even see into a car, especially with tinted windows. Well, if they can’t see into the vehicle, that could be a violation right there &#8212 too much tint.

Also drivers have said they could simply get a free Good To Go Motorcycle Pass, affix it to their car, and get around paying the new toll. But it’s cheating and you can expect a ticket if you’re caught.

Related: How some drivers might try to cheat the new tolling system

Motorcycles are allowed to use the Express Toll Lanes for free and there’s no way for the system to discern whether you’re truly cruising on two wheels.

Enforcement

After enough practice, law enforcement gets pretty good at determining the number of occupants in a vehicle, Washington State Trooper Mark Francis tells KIRO Radio traffic reporter Chris Sullivan.

“When you start doing it enough, you get pretty good at it. You can get angles of headlights, streetlights coming into the vehicle to get a good snapshot of what’s in the vehicle,” Francis said.

Francis said drivers will get about a month-long grace period to figure it all out, before troopers drop the hammer.