The March 19 article in the Herald “State Transportation Commission adopts I-405 express tolls” confirms that drivers, even two-person carpoolers, will now face intense traffic unless they pay up to $10 in tolls. Why must we pay so much?
The answer is simple: our state Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is broke. Rather than funding much needed repair, maintenance and design improvements of our roads, WSDOT is spending billions of dollars on unnecessary freeway projects, which place them further into debt. According to their website, WSDOT currently spends most of its fuel tax revenue on debt service.
But WSDOT is not fully to blame. In their $15 billion package, our legislators are spending billions of dollars for new massive freeway projects which have not been adequately researched, and are simply not needed. Meanwhile, the package allocates less than 10 percent of funding to maintenance, allowing our 382 structurally deficient bridges to continue deteriorating.
These twisted funding priorities place us further into debt, and force commuters to pay the cost through worsened traffic and increased tolls. The state should spend our tax dollars more wisely rather than tolling us further.
Cecile Gernez
Seattle
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