SEATTLE — A panel of experts says the state should delay charging tolls on the State Route 530 bridge across Lake Washington until as late as June 2011.
The state had planned to start charging tolls in October 2010 to help pay for a replacement for the 46-year-old bridge. The new bridge, due to open in 2016, would have six lanes instead of four.
The Seattle Times reports that the panel found that efforts to start the electronic tolling system are so complicated that it won’t be ready on time. It recommends simplifying the system, and allowing some motorists to pay online.
State Senate Transportation Committee Chairwoman Mary Margaret Haugen, D-Camano Island, says a few months of delay in charging tolls should not delay construction.
Information from: The Seattle Times, www.seattletimes.com
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