BELLEVUE — Drivers will learn Tuesday what they may pay to use the express toll lanes on I-405 between Lynnwood and Bellevue while carpoolers find out the rules to travel in them at no cost.
The state Transportation Commission on Tuesday intends to release its toll rate proposal at a meeting in Bellevue, then begin a six-week public comment period.
Commissioners are planning to take final action on March 18. That will give the state Department of Transportation time for a public education campaign before toll collection begins later this year on the 17 miles of express lanes.
Commissioners are eyeing a recommendation to set a minimum toll rate of 75 cents and a maximum of $10. It is anticipated that drivers will pay between 75 cents and $4 most of the time, according to Reema Griffith, the commission’s executive director.
By comparison, travel in Highway 167 high-occupancy-toll (HOT) lanes costs a minimum of 50 cents to a maximum of $9.
Here’s what’s going to be a little different for carpoolers.
Commissioners are looking to require carpools have at least three people to be exempt from paying during peak hours — defined as 5-9 a.m. and 3-7 p.m. — and two people the rest of the time. Motorcycles, transit vehicles and vanpools will be exempt at all times.
The state deploys a similar approach for use of the carpool lanes on the stretch of Highway 520 between I-405 and the bridge deck on the eastside of the lake, according to Griffith.
Another change drivers will encounter on the I-405 express lanes is that all vehicles, including carpools, will need to install a special transponder in their vehicle to avoid getting charged.
Carpool vehicles would be required to have a switchable device to use the express lanes for free. The units will have separate modes for HOV, which stands for high occupancy vehicle, and toll. Carpoolers must switch their unit to HOV to avoid paying a toll otherwise they’ll be charged.
The new devices, when available, will also work on the Highway 520 and Tacoma Narrows bridges and the Highway 167 toll lanes, state transportation officials have said.
Those who never plan to carpool in the new I-405 express lanes can still use the lanes if they pay the toll. Drivers would use their standard Good To Go! account to pay a toll or, if they don’t have an account, they would receive a bill in the mail with a $2 charge tacked on to cover the cost of collecting.
Cameras will be used to take photos of license plates to send bills to those without a transponder.
Tuesday’s hearing begins at 6:30 p.m. in Bellevue City Hall, 450 110th Ave. NE, in Bellevue. It will be preceded at 5:30 p.m. by an open house to provide people a chance to learn more about the entire I-405 express toll lanes project.
Three additional public hearings are planned before toll rates and carpool rules are adopted.
On Feb. 17, commissioners will conduct an online-only meeting from 6-8 p.m. Information can be found on the commission website, www.wstc.wa.gov.
On Feb. 19, a public hearing is planned at 6:30 p.m. at Kirkland City Hall, 123 Fifth Ave. in Kirkland. The commission is scheduled to adopt its toll rate proposal in its 6:30 p.m. March 18 in Kirkland City Hall.
No hearings are planned in Snohomish County even though it is where many toll lane users will live.
“We did look into holding one of the meetings at Lynnwood City Hall but it wasn’t available after hours,” Griffith wrote in an email.
The chamber of the Bothell City Council was not available either, she said.
Jerry Cornfield: 360-352-8623; jcornfield@heraldnet.com.
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