Date:
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
Contact:
Victoria Tobin, WSDOT Communications, 206-464-1184 (Seattle)
Greg Phipps, WSDOT Communications, 206-949-8078 (Seattle)
RENTON – On April 26, Washington’s first ever high occupancy toll (HOT) lanes will begin offering solo drivers a new choice for their commute on State Route 167. The SR 167 HOT Lanes Pilot Project will assess how variable tolling can help make the state’s roadways more efficient and less congested.
WSDOT is converting nine miles of a pre-existing high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane in each direction of SR 167 between Renton and Auburn to a single HOT lane. With HOT lanes, drivers will have the choice to pay an electronic toll without ever slowing or stopping and escape traffic back ups when they can’t afford to be late.
There will be no toll booths. The toll will be collected by the same Good To Go! transponders currently in use on the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. Carpools carrying two people or more, vanpools, transit and motorcycles will continue to use the HOT lanes toll-free and do not need a transponder.
"The HOT lanes project is just one example of several new transportation innovations that WSDOT is investigating as tools to make our highways more efficient in moving more people," said Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond. "Building additional highway capacity is part of the solution, but that alone won’t prepare us for the ever increasing demands on our roadways and bridges."
HOT lanes are the latest example of WSDOT’s three-point plan for curbing congestion, known as “Moving Washington.” The new strategy includes adding new road space where it makes the most sense, offering travelers and commuters more choices to reduce traffic demand and making the state’s existing highways as efficient as possible, which is where HOT lanes come in. Along with fighting congestion, safety is a top priority for the project team and WSDOT, which is working closely with the Washington State Patrol on HOT lanes operations and enforcement.
The key to HOT lane efficiency is in its fluctuating toll amount. The price increases and decrease with current traffic levels in the HOT lane to maintain the optimum amount of vehicles and the optimum lane speed for the smoothest traffic flow. Variable tolling ensures free-flow speeds virtually all the time.
“Getting the most efficiency possible out of the lanes we already have and offering people more travel choices are crucial for preparing our highway system for the projected one million more people in central Puget Sound by 2030,” said WSDOT Urban Corridors Administrator Craig J. Stone.
During the four-year pilot period, WSDOT will closely monitor and adjust the system to achieve its best performance. The department will report evaluation data to the state Legislature and the Washington State Transportation Commission.
Over the next three weeks, WSDOT crews will make final touches on new signs and tolling equipment on SR 167 as well as the new computer systems required for variable tolling. Beginning April 12, crews will begin adding a second solid white stripe to separate the HOT lanes from the two general-purpose lanes in each direction of SR 167. Once the double white line is in place, it will be illegal to cross.
For more information, view the SR 167 HOT Lanes Web site and the Good To Go! Web site.
A full HOT Lanes press kit with more detailed documents and information is available at http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/SR167/HOTLanes/Publications.htm
###
< Back to News Home