Higher tolls and increased HOV requirements on the table for I-405 and SR 167

The max toll rates on I-405 and SR 167 went up to $15 two years ago, but even that increase isn’t going far enough. The Washington State Transportation Commission (WSTC) is considering raising tolls again.

The max toll rates on those two roads went up from $10 to $15 in March of 2024. In the year that followed, tolls generated nearly $40 million on those two corridors, an increase of nearly $10 million over 2024. The number of toll transactions stayed about the same.

That means the price increases boosted the bottom line.

I poke fun at WSTC Chair Debbie Young for saying this about the maximum tolls before those increases took effect.

“It’s a reminder that yes, it doesn’t get there very often and only when it has to,” Young said a few years ago.

But the tolls on I-405 have hit the $15 max about 80% of the time during the morning commute ever since. That is based on my personal counting, not official stats. The biggest culprit is the southbound I-405 segment from Lynnwood to Bothell, which has only one toll lane. That’s why WSDOT is working so hard to add a second toll lane in that area.

The northbound SR 167 toll doesn’t hit the max very often, but new flex pass rules only went into effect earlier this year.

So what is the Transportation Commission considering today?

Raising the max tolls on I-405 and SR 167 is on the table. Raising them to $18 was discussed last year. It could be that number or even more. The state needs this corridor to generate another $1.5 billion in revenue over time.

The agency could increase the HOV requirements to three-plus all the time, or expand the peak hours when three-plus is required to be free. It could expand tolling on the weekends. Right now, I-405 is free.

The commission is considering these changes as WSDOT completes work to expand I-405 between Bellevue and Renton. It is building a two-lane express toll lane system to match the one between Bellevue and Bothell.

That work was supposed to finish last year, but it has been delayed by 18 months. The lanes should open next summer.

The state is looking for consistency along that entire corridor from Lynnwood to Sumner.

Has the congestion pricing been working on I-405 and SR 167?

The goal is for the toll lanes to run at 45 miles an hour, 90% of the time in peak hours. On I-405, it’s 83%. On SR 167, it’s 76%.

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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