WSDOT unveils new toll map for I-405 drivers
Aug 17, 2015, 4:38 PM | Updated: Aug 18, 2015, 4:59 pm
This map is featured on WSDOT's I-405 tolling website. An interactive map is expected to debut online within a week. (WSDOT)
(WSDOT)
In an effort to mitigate any potential problems with new tolling lanes, the Washington State Department of Transportation is launching a new interactive map to help drivers navigate the tolling lanes coming to I-405.
I got a look at the website and interactive map a few weeks ago and helped beta-test it. While the website explaining I-405’s tolling system is up and running, the interactive map has yet to debut, but is expected to be active within a week.
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The online tools give drivers a point-and-click view of the new I-405 Express Toll Lanes to open between Bellevue and Lynnwood in September.
“Our two main goals are to show people what access is going to look like so they can plan out where they’re going to be able to enter and exit the Express Toll Lanes for their route — and give people an idea of what the signs are going to look like,” said Ethan Bergerson with WSDOT.
The online map will show the entry and exit points and what the signs will look like at those particular points. Drivers can plot their route and determine which point works best for their commute or particular drive that day.
The map will also show how the lanes are configured and what it will look like to merge in and out of them.
While you would probably learn more in one trip in the new Express Toll Lanes than you would by studying the interactive map, it will give you a decent picture of what you’re in for and how the system is designed.
It’s certainly required reading for anyone who will be using the system.
“The goal of this is to get drivers familiar with this idea of looking at the rate signs as they enter and also to make sure they understand that sign they see when they enter is what they’re going to get,” Bergerson said. “They’re not going to get charged extra for continuing on.”
The one thing this map will not do is show you the exact prices for the trips in real-time. The website just wouldn’t be able to keep up with the changes.
I recommend you review this website, once it’s live, to get familiar with the major change on I-405.
