Tolls keep 520 commute a breeze while other roadways back up
Mar 5, 2012, 4:42 AM | Updated: 6:51 am
Through two months of tolling on the 520 Bridge, traffic continues to run about 40 percent below normal, but congestion is up on I-5, I-90 and Highway 522. (AP)
(AP)
Through two months of tolling on the 520 Bridge, traffic continues to run about 40 percent below normal, but congestion is up on I-5, I-90 and Highway 522.
Drivers are still trying to figure out what works best for them, but as they’re doing it, regular drivers on the alternate routes are experiencing major impacts.
Speeds on I-90 are down about ten miles and hour. Speeds on Highway 522 are down about 12 miles an hour, and The Seattle Times reports the stretch of I-5 between 520 and I-90 is running about eight minutes longer than it used to.
But drivers willing to pay the tolls are having a great time. Speeds on 520 are running 20 to 30 miles an hour faster.
The state has estimated it will take about six months before the region settles into the new normal.
