With gas-tax revenues likely to stay in retreat even after the economy recovers, state transportation planners not only need to find new funding sources for highways, they must figure out how to make the most efficient use of the ones we already have.
A proposal for accomplishing both is movi
ng forward in the Legislature, and deserves approval. EHB 1382 would pilot a system of express toll lanes on I-405 from its northern intersection with I-5 in Lynnwood south to downtown Bellevue, starting in about three years. It’s an idea that’s working in other parts of the country, and has the potential to improve congestion during peak hours while providing user-based funding for highway expansion.
Here are the basics. Between Lynnwood and the Highway 522 interchange in Bothell, the current carpool lane in each direction would become an express toll lane, with two lanes in each direction would remain general-purpose lanes. From Bothell to downtown Bellevue, two lanes out of five in each direction would become toll lanes. (Construction to expand that section is scheduled to begin next summer; tolls wouldn’t start until after that work is finished.)
Traffic would be monitored constantly throughout the day and tolls adjusted to maximize the efficient flow of traffic. As congestion increases, so does the price to use an express lane; when traffic is flowing faster, the toll comes down. The idea is to strike an equilibrium, where price and traffic flow work together to keep traffic flowing at maximum efficiency.
(There would be no toll booths to slow traffic, either. Tolls would be collected automatically through a chip-embedded window sticker. Drivers without one would receive a bill in the mail.)
Carpools could still use the express lanes for free, but it’s possible that the definition of a carpool would have to change from a minimum of two people to a minimum of three to keep those lanes from jamming up. That decision would come after further study.
You don’t need an economics degree to understand the positive effect variable pricing would have on traffic flow. And it gives individuals the power of choice, deciding the value of their own time. Transit use would increase with more predictable travel times, further easing congestion for everyone.
What’s less certain is how much money would be yielded for new construction. There’s really only one way to find out: try it and see. Safeguards were amended into the legislation Thursday by the Senate Transportation Committee, requiring the project to be terminated after two years if its costs aren’t being covered or if express-lane speeds drop below an average of 45 mph 90 percent of the time during peak hours.
With gas-tax revenues decreasing as fuel-efficiency improves, tolls represent a fair, user-based way to pay for roads. Using tolls to help keep traffic moving will reduce the pressure to build even more roads. That’s a solution worth trying.
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