Edmonds commuters: State DOT proposing tolls on I-5 express lanes

If you’re an Edmonds-to-Seattle commuter, you will be interested in Thursday’s Seattle Times report that the State Department of Transportation is considering tolling the I-5 express lanes through North Seattle, charging drivers up to $5.50 for a faster commute.

The DOT estimates the tolls would cut travel time six minutes in the express lanes, but mainline traffic would increase by 12,000 cars a day, causing more slowdown for nonpaying drivers. Peak tolls could be reduced by one-fourth to improve efficiency, but raise less money, said the Times, an online news partner of My Edmonds News.

State Rep. Cindy Ryu, a 32nd District Democrat who represents part of Edmonds, told the Times: “It will not be the people in Seattle who are the most affected. It is those of us in the North King, South Snohomish County area. We just build in an extra half-hour just in case, then we get hit by the high parking fees in Seattle.”

You can read the complete Times story here.

  1. How about not going to Seattle at all. Let’s also waste gas and pollute more sitting in the mess this will cause.

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