Reader concerned about toll entry on hill

Like many of us, Lyle Rice of Mukilteo has noticed the new tolling equipment going up on I-405 in preparation for the switch from carpool lanes to high-occupancy toll lanes.

But the placement of equipment over the far side of I-405 south of the interchange with Highway 522 caused him a bit of concern, and perhaps some others as well.

First, the tolling equipment in that southern section is not only above the current HOV lane, but also above a general purpose lane.

Just to be clear, no general purpose lanes will be lost once the project is complete. The interstate is being widened to add an additional lane. The two far-left lanes will become express toll lanes, while there will remain three general purpose lanes to the right, including the new lane.

Rice also had concerns, however, about the placement of the equipment at the top of a hill.

“No public transportation buses and semi-trucks go near the speed limit and always cause a backup to begin with,” he wrote. “How is this supposed to make traffic flow better as you force traffic to move over behind the slow vehicles that are stuck since the open left lane was the right lane in 405?”

Ethan Bergerson, a spokesman for WSDOT’s toll division, said a new shoulder area for buses will allow transit to safely go up the hill without slowing traffic.

“The tolling facility was placed at the top of the hill on the southbound section of I-405 after the SR 522 interchange in order to ensure that there was enough distance for cars entering the freeway to safely merge into the express toll lanes,” he added.

Have a question? Email us at streetsmarts@heraldnet.com. Please include your name and city of residence. Look for updates on our Street Smarts blog.

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