Toll has prompted 520 drivers to find new routes
Feb 17, 2012, 9:15 AM | Updated: 1:53 pm
More than one-third of drivers have decided to avoid the 520 toll bridge in the past six weeks. (WSDOT)
(WSDOT)
More than one-third of drivers have decided to avoid the 520 toll bridge and take another route.
Six weeks of data from the Washington State Department of Transportation indicates traffic volume has decreased by 34 percent (18 percent in the morning and 25 percent in the evening), according to KING-5.
While 11 percent of drivers chose to take I-90 and another nine percent are driving north around Lake Washington, about five percent of drivers have vanished. Either they’ve decided it’s just not worth it or they’re taking the bus.
WSDOT has said new traffic patterns will take time to stabilize as people figure out which route and mode of transportation works best for them. It expects 520 traffic to build in the months to come.
Toll rates vary by the time of day with the lowest rates awarded to those with a Good to Go Pass. It costs $1.60 during the early morning commute and increases to $3.50 during peak times. That peak time cost is about $5.00 for people without the pass.
WSDOT says tolling on 520 is expected to raise $1 billion overall toward the $4.65 billion bridge replacement and HOV program.
