The Washington Department of Transportation (WSDOT) has finally admitted that the new I-405 express toll lanes have, in fact, made traffic worse. In the past, WSDOT had insisted that there has been an improvement.
Agency officials claimed the old HOV lane carried 15 percent of traffic near NE 85th Street in Kirkland. On the other hand, they said the new toll lanes carried 25 percent.
Of course, as Shift pointed out, the data officials cited did not give an accurate indication of the truth. WSDOT’s own data revealed that the new HOV lanes are only carrying 12.5 percent of vehicles per lane, far below the 15 percent of the old HOV lane. The three remaining general-purpose lanes are carrying the rest of traffic (75 percent of the traffic). That means “25 percent per lane, double the traffic throughout of the toll lane.”
WSDOT officials, finally admitting the truth, now insist that they have another solution to a problem they made worse by their first solution. Some state officials are now proposing widening the roadway enough to allow shoulder driving. Essentially, they want to convert the shoulder into another general purpose lane. Via KIRO 7,
“Patty Rubstello, who directs the toll division for the Washington State Department of Transportation, said shoulder driving during heavy traffic in the northbound lanes between State Route 522 and I-5 in Lynnwood could speed the commute in the general purpose lanes, where congestion has increased…
“Adding shoulder driving is more complicated than it sounds, and Rubstello said an expansion project would require sound proofing and stream work, which could push the cost into the tens of millions of dollars.”
WSDOT could continue spending more of taxpayers’ hard earned dollars on solutions to fix problems it created. Or, it urge certain Democrats to support a bill proposed GOP lawmakers that would implement a far less complicated fix to the problem it created.
As Shift reported, the proposal—introduced by GOP state Sen. Andy Hill and GOP state Rep. Mark Harmsworth—would eliminate one of I-405’s vaunted toll lanes, and let the drivers (who already paid for it through gas taxes) use it as a general-purpose lane. The proposal would also scale back WSDOT’s I-405 express lane tolling project. Currently, there are two toll lanes in each direction. The bill would leave in place one new tolling lane in each direction on I-405, but convert the other back to an HOV lane during the day and, like the old HOV lanes, would open to all traffic starting at 7 p.m. until 5 a.m. the next morning.
The bill has garnered bi-partisan support. In fact, it has enough support to even pass out of the Democrat-controlled state House. The problem is Democrat State Representative Judy Clibborn, chair of the Transportation Committee, has refused to give the bill a hearing. Essentially, Clibborn—knowing that the bill would pass—is abusing her power by not allowing even the possibility of a debate on an important bill that impacts the everyday lives of Washingtonians.”
WSDOT’s recent admission came after Clibborn defended the agency’s claims concerning toll lanes during a preliminary work session and downplayed the “averages” and “anecdotes” presented by those in opposition. Since then, Clibborn has made no indication that she will reconsider her stance.
If you would like to let Clibborn know that it is “wrong to use personal opinions to get in the way of the will of the people,” her office phone number is 360-786-7926 and her office email is [email protected].
