Get ready, drivers: Puyallup to Lynnwood could cost $54 in tolls

We’re less than a year from the expansion of the express toll lane system between Renton and Bellevue, and that will mark the start of segmented tolling that could mean paying more than $50 to drive from Puyallup to Lynnwood.

I figured it was time to remind everyone of the upcoming changes after a text from KIRO Newsradio listener CH in the 206 this week.

“Northbound 167 HOV exit to northbound I-405 has a toll camera at the start of the exit to the flyover ramp,” CH wrote. “Since the portion of I-405 you exit onto is not tolled, is there actually a toll charge if you use this HOV exit, or is this for future tolling when they start tolling all of I-405?”

If you didn’t catch that, CH wants to know if he’s being tolled right now driving from northbound SR 167 to northbound I-405. The answer is no. Next summer, the answer will be yes.

When the express toll system goes active between Renton and Bellevue next summer, connecting the existing tolling corridor from Lynnwood to Bellevue and from Puyallup to Renton, that flyover ramp will be part of the express toll system.

And since we’re talking about the corridor from Puyallup to Lynnwood, it’s also a good time to remind everyone what our tolling reality will look like when that happens.

Three toll segments could mean a $45 trip from Puyallup to Lynnwood

This will mark the start of segmented tolling. There will be three segments, and you will pay a toll in each one if you’re hitting them all in one trip. For example, if you are driving from Puyallup to Lynnwood, there will be a toll up to Renton, a second toll from Renton to Bellevue, and a third from Bellevue to Lynnwood. You will pay all three, not just the one price you see today when you enter the express toll lane system.

While it’s unlikely that all three segments would be at their maximum on that one trip, it’s not impossible. Let’s not forget that the state told us we would rarely hit the maximum tolls as these corridors were created and expanded, and we hit them almost every day.

At today’s toll prices, that trip from Puyallup to Lynnwood could cost up to $45 if you hit the three segments at their $15 maximums.

But today’s toll prices might not be next year’s toll prices.

Proposed toll increases could push Puyallup-to-Lynnwood trip to $54

The Washington State Transportation Commission is considering raising the maximum tolls to $18 per segment. That would make the trip $54 if you hit all three maximums.

The commission is also considering expanding tolling on I-405 on the weekends. Currently, it’s not tolled on Saturday and Sunday. That will likely change, too, when the full system opens next year. The HOV requirement will also likely go to 3+ for longer periods of time, to price more people out of those lanes.

And let’s not forget, that’s the goal of the congestion pricing model being used for this express toll system. It’s designed to price people out of the lanes and back into the general purpose lanes so transit can have faster and more reliable trips in those tolled lanes.

By the way, the construction of the express toll system between Renton and Bellevue is running about 18 months behind schedule. It was supposed to open at the start of this year.

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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