Washington’s toll experiment showing some signs of promise

Washington’s “low-occupancy” toll lanes experiment is having a hard time getting off the ground, but the numbers are starting to elevate.

On a segment of Rte. 167 solo drivers have been able to buy their way into the car-pool lanes in an effort to reduce congestion on the corridor. The project experienced its best results in March, when drivers took more than 47,000 tolled trips—a 25% increase compared to a year ago. It generated more than $40,000 in revenue, but it still costs the state over $97,000 to operate the corridor.

Confident with the results, transportation officials are planning to extend the toll lanes to the edge of Pierce County.

Motorists have been slow to buy the Good to Go electronic transponders, but the state may be partially to blame. After experiencing an uncontrollable rush for the devices when the Tacoma Narrows Bridge opened, officials decided to do a soft launch with Rte. 167. The goal was to have 5,000 of the route’s 120,000 daily users onboard by the second or third year of operation. After year two less than 2,500 have bought into the program.

Overall, congestion has loosened on Rte. 167 since the program was implemented in 2008. However, rush hours are still suspect to long travel times. Over the past six months, the results have been split—times dropped in three of the months, but were up in the other three.