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I-405 Tolls Poised to Become Election Year Issue

Tolling on I-405 was contentious long before it was implemented in September 2015. It garnered new and lasting attention following the surprise firing of now former Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) head, Lynn Peterson last month.

Representative Mark Harmsworth, R-Mill Creek, joined Senator Andy Hill, R-Redmond, as an outspoken opponent of the I-405 project. Hill pointed to it as a reason for voting to fire Peterson after she’d spent 3 years on the job, while Harmsworth sponsored an amendment to the supplemental transportation budget that would have eliminated tolling altogether.

Although the issue has been laid to rest this year in Olympia, it’s likely to become a serious talking point for both gubernatorial candidates in the upcoming election as they fight for votes in the Puget Sound.

Some Background 

Congestion pricing has been implemented in cities around the world. In the United States, as funding for infrastructure continues to decline, it’s seen as both a revenue source and also a go-to for smoothing traffic and promoting public transit. It works through an algorithm that raises the price of road usage during periods of high demand (peak traffic hours) and lowers it during periods of low-demand.

Tolling on the 17 mile stretch of I-405 that runs from Bellevue to Lynnwood was implemented about 5 months ago. Since then, there’s been a vocal backlash from residents north of Seattle and Bellevue who say that traffic has not improved and that they are paying higher than expected prices.

In addition to the toll, one new express toll lane was paved in each direction from Bothell to Bellevue, while what used to be 2 person HOV lanes from Lynnwood to Bellevue were made into express toll lanes (HOT lanes). During peak hours the passenger requirement for using express lanes free of charge was raised to a minimum of 3 people. The results were one toll lane and 2 general purpose lanes each way from Lynnwood to Bothell and two toll lanes and 3 general purpose lanes in each direction running from Bothell to Bellevue. Some say that the project constitutes a reduction in general purpose lanes. A gas tax increase between 2003 and 2005 provided funded an additional general purpose lane in each direction, but the lane became an express toll lane in 2011 legislation. 

For an easy-to-understand overview of how the system is designed, you can watch WSDOT’s YouTube playlist here.

Preliminary Results

It seems like a simple question: are the tolls working or not? But there is no clear consensus.

In a recent blog post, WSDOT said, “We can say the I-405 express toll lanes are doing what they were designed to do: people who use in transit, vanpools and carpools have received the immediate benefit of a reliable trip.”

Echoing the strong focus on public transit, Representative Judy Clibborn, D-Mercer Island, who chairs the House Transportation Committee, said, “I think it is confusing to people because it’s a new way of thinking about the corridor. It’s being built for bus rapid transit. That’s the long range goal. As we add lanes in that corridor we will ensure that the HOV lanes are always moving.”

Although express lanes show improvement, angry motorists are complaining over worsening traffic in the general purpose lanes. When the tolling was enacted in 2011, one of its stated purposes was “reducing congestion.” Other complaints include tolls shooting up to $10 (far above WSDOT’s average estimate of $1-4) on occasion and new choke points near the Bothell area. A petition to repeal the tolling altogether has received 31,000 signatures. 

A report from traffic data company INRIX showed that although traffic in the express toll lanes (formerly HOV lanes) is moving faster than before, general purpose lanes are moving more slowly. It stated that  “post-toll speed improvements on I-405 are isolated to vehicles that already experience the least peak hour congestion (i.e., those driving in the HOV/HOT lanes), while post-toll speeds in the general purpose lanes have generally gotten worse for the majority of drivers.”

This finding is in contrast to WSDOT’s data, which says that the general purpose lanes are moving 7 minutes faster going southbound and 1 minute faster going northbound.

In a nod to complaints over the general purpose lanes, Clibborn faulted WSDOT saying, “They could have done a better job of telling us what the impacts of the region’s growth would be on those regular lanes. They were so focused on HOT lanes that they didn’t tell us what the impact would be on general purpose lanes.”

Nowhere to Go

After sponsoring a bill to make changes to I-405, which never got a public hearing, Representative Harmsworth attempted to address the issue in the supplemental transportation budget by sponsoring two amendments. The first would have reverted one toll lane in each direction to a general purpose lane. The second would have abolished tolling completely. Both were ruled “out of scope,” preventing lawmakers from voting on them.

In an interview Harmsworth said, “We don’t really have any options left during this session.” But, he vowed to continue to work on the issue. Representative Clibborn confirmed that the issue is no longer being discussed.

When asked if he sees the I-405 tolls as a major issue in the upcoming election Harmsworth said yes. “I think voters will definitely consider this issue as they choose who to vote for in the upcoming elections. Transportation is becoming increasingly important to people in the Puget Sound.” However, Harmsworth doesn’t think it’s a partisan issue. “Whether you’re Democrat or Republican, you’re still stuck in traffic,” he replied.

Changes

While the issue may not register ideologically along party lines, regional transportation has clearly become an issue for Republicans in the Puget Sound area to rally around. It’s also been an issue that Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Bryant has been vocal about.

On the same day that Governor Inslee called for changes to I-405 Bryant also put out a statement on the issue. His plan?  “Free one HOT lane into a general-purpose lane and convert the remaining lane to tolled or for 2+people in the car.”

Governor Inslee’s plan includes new auxiliary lanes and hard running shoulders at key chokepoints near SR 520 and SR 527, improved striping and signage, longer access points for merging into the toll lanes, and tweaking the tolling algorithms. Inslee has also directed WSDOT to lift the tolls on evening off-peak hours, weekends and holidays starting as early as Spring.

In a separate interview Bryant discredited Inslee’s plan, saying, “What Governor Inslee is doing is causing people to sit in traffic. His job is not to socially engineer people out of their cars. His job is to keep traffic moving.”

“I think Jay Inslee wants this issue to go away and he’s acted as if those who bring it up are somehow bothering him but the people affected by 405 are bothered every day when they can’t get to work on time and they can’t get home to see their families at a reasonable hour… frankly he just seems bothered by doing the job,” he said.

Swing Votes

Moving further out of Seattle means moving into swing districts to the north and south of King County– districts like the ones that Hill and Harmsworth represent and districts that could be key to winning the governor’s race.

Transportation could be the issue that makes swing districts go red in 2016. It’s often thought of as a good campaign issue because it’s less alienating than other issues– picking up one vote doesn’t necessarily mean losing another, as is the case with more hot button issues.

Furthermore, congestion relief is an issue that resonnates with voters. A 2015 poll by the Puget Sound Regional Council found that 47% of those surveyed said that transportation was their top concern. 80% said that traffic was either a “serious” or “critical problem.” However, they also placed transit amongst their top priorities. When asked “What do you think is the most important overall objective for regional transportation?” providing “alternatives to driving” registered as #2, trailing “improving traffic flow” by only 5%.

Recent rhetoric hints that transportation is becoming a partisan issue. Democrats are focusing on benefits to transit riders and Republicans are emphasizing the cost to drivers. As the legislative session wraps up and we head into election season, the issue could become polarizing.


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