More residents admit to ditching their digs to avoid I-405 congestion
Feb 18, 2016, 11:06 PM | Updated: May 6, 2016, 11:07 pm
A former Monroe resident isn’t the only one who is changing her life because of the I-405 toll lanes.
After hearing about Mikiko Toner’s decision to move closer to Bellevue due to the congested corridor, Seattle’s Morning News on KIRO Radio received messages from listeners about the highway’s influence on their decision to pack up.
Related: Gov. Inslee requests changes to I-405 express toll lanes
Billy, in Carnation, said he and his fiancee tripled their taxes in order to live closer to Redmond. The couple was commuting from Marysville to Redmond for years. After hearing they would need three people to drive in the HOV lanes for free, they decided to increase their cost of living if it meant ditching I-405.
Billy wasn’t the only one who chimed in.
Yvonne said the tolls played a big part in her decision to move. While commuting from Bothell to Tacoma, she said the ride south wasn’t too bad, but going home was “ridiculous.” Now, she and her boyfriend are moving farther south.
“We would probably still move, but the tolls were a motivator to get it going!” she wrote to KIRO Radio.
Similar sentiments can be found on KIRO Radio’s Facebook page.
Between September and the end of 2015, the state reported people spent $3.7 million to drive in the toll lanes. The state initially predicted the tolls would make $1 million.
Gov. Jay Inslee recently announced a series of changes to the corridor, including removal of tolls during non-peak evening hours.
