1-405 express toll lanes to open

By DEAN A. RADFORD
dradford@rentonreporter.com

Starting Sunday, a 17-mile stretch of Interstate 405 between Bellevue and Lynnwood will join State Route 167 southward from Renton as two freeways where motorists can pay a toll to speed them on their way.

To get ready for the launch, starting Friday the state Department of Transportation will close two lanes in both directions of I-405 between Bellevue and Bothell to finish striping the lanes.

Toll rates set by the Washington State Transportation Commission will adjust based on traffic congestion to keep the express toll lanes moving at 45 mph or faster.

The SR 167 HOT lanes – the state’s first-ever, high-occupancy toll lanes using the Good To Go! pass – opened in May 2008 between Renton and Auburn as a pilot project to test whether variable tolling will make state roads more efficient and less congested.

Any existing Good To Go! pass will work to pay a toll in the express toll lanes on I-405, but only a Flex Pass will allow three-person carpools to declare HOV status and ride toll-free, according to the transportation department.

The toll minimum is 75 cents and the maximum is $10, though 90 percent of tolls will be less than $4, according to transportation officials.

“We need to be serious with our drivers,” said Craig Stone, the assistant secretary for the transportation department’s Tolling Division, said in a news release about buying passes. “This is crunch time to get ready for Sept. 27. We want people to take action.”

Information about purchasing a Good To Go pass or a free Flex Pass is available online at www.wsdot.wa.gov/Tolling/405.

If drivers don’t qualify for a free Flex Pass, they can still buy one for $15 at GoodToGo.com or by calling 1-866-936-8246.

State transportation officials are urging motorists to use alternative routes to I-405 this weekend to avoid the striping project and the expected congestion.

“Nearly a quarter of a million people use I-405 every weekend, and we need every one of them to plan ahead before they get on the road,” said Lisa Hodgson, the transportation department I-405 project engineer, in a news release.

“Whether they’re headed to a game at Husky Stadium or CenturyLink Field, drivers should plan for delays and use alternate routes to make sure they arrive before kickoff,” she said.

The closures of two lanes in each direction start at 11 p.m. Friday between between I-90 in Bellevue and Northeast 195th in Bothell. The closures are expected to end at noon Sunday and the express-toll lanes will activate.

Here are the details:

• All Northeast 6th direct access ramps will be closed.

• All Northeast 128th direct access ramps will be closed.

• During late evening and early morning hours, I-405 may be reduced to one lane in each direction at SR 520 and SR 522.

• Drivers should plan ahead or reschedule trips to avoid delays.

The striping work is weather dependent; a delay would affect Sunday’s opening of the express toll lanes. The latest information is available at the I-405 construction updates page.

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HOT VS. ETL

Here are the differences between the new Interstate 405 express-toll lanes and the SR 167 HOT lanes, as explained by the Washington State Department of Transportation.

• Carpool requirements: On SR 167 vehicles must have two people to use the HOT lane toll free. The I-405 express toll lanes require three occupants during peak periods from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays, and two-person carpools will be allowed to use the lanes toll-free at other times.

• Photo-tolling: SR 167 solo drivers must have a Good To Go! pass to use the HOT lanes – we can’t take a photo of the license plate so we can’t mail them a toll bill. On I-405 express toll lanes, anyone will be able to pay a toll to use the new I-405 express toll lanes. Just like SR 520, if they don’t have an account, we will take a photo of their license plate and send them a bill in the mail.

• Passes: SR 167 carpools don’t need a Good To Go! pass to travel toll-free in the HOT lane. To ride toll free in the I-405 express toll lanes, carpools must have a Good to Go! Flex Pass in HOV mode and an active Good To Go! account. The Flex Pass is the only pass a driver will need because it works to pay the toll on all facilities and will allow carpools to ride free in the express toll lanes and the HOT Lanes. Customers who request or purchase a Flex Pass should register the pass with an existing or new Good To Go! account, remove their old pass from the windshield and they will be Good To Go!

• If you are an existing Good To Go! customer with a switchable pass, which was offered for carpooling on SR 167 HOT lanes, you can get a free upgrade to a Flex Pass. The switchable pass was designed with an on-and-off switch for the SR 167 HOT lanes. While it will work to pay the toll in the express toll lanes, it will not provide a free trip for carpoolers in OFF mode. Only the Flex Pass allows carpools to travel toll free in the express toll lanes. Good To Go! customers with switchable passes can email goodtogo@goodtogo.wsdot.wa.gov or call 1-866-936-8246 to get a free Flex Pass as a replacement. Good To Go! will mail you a Flex Pass and deactivate your switchable pass within 30 days.

• Hours: SR 167 HOT lanes are free and open to all between 7 p.m. and 5 a.m. I-405 express toll lanes will operate 24-hours a day with tolls and carpool requirements.

• Access: SR 167 HOT lanes use a single stripe allowing drivers to enter and exit the HOT lane at almost any point. I-405 express toll lanes will have limited entrance and exit points. These access points will have a dash or break in the double white lines, which are illegal to cross.