(The Center Square) – The Washington State Transportation Commission has adopted toll rates for the Puget Sound Gateway Program, which includes extensions of State Route 167 and 509 in south King County, while public input received was overall opposed to the use of tolls at all.
Under the scenario adopted by the WSTC, the roll rate for both roads east of Interstate 5 will be $1.20 to $2.40 for State Route 509 and $1.20 to $3 for State Route 167, with the rates varying depending on the time of day. For State Route 167 West of I-5, the toll rate will be $1 at all times of the day. For all tolls, there will be a 2.15% rate increase every year starting in the 2031 fiscal year.
The tolling scenario adopted also includes low income program beginning with the Puget Sound Gateway expressway in 2026. Tolling for the first portion of State Route 509 is expected to begin this fall, while tolling on State Route 167 is planned to start in December 2026. Tolls will not be added to existing general purpose lanes for either state route.
Prior to the June 17 vote to adopt the toll scenario, no one testified during the public comment, which drew concern from WSTC Commissioner Roy Jennings. “We had nobody whatsoever – no Washingtonian whatsoever – during an open comment period at all. We’re sure that it went out to in public our news releases and stuff that this was happening?”
WSTC Deputy Director Carl See noted that they received 1,600 comments about the tolls during their online open house, and roughly 85 attendees in their virtual public input meeting.
“That really was the point in time when there were significant options for the public to weigh in on and for you to consider as commissioners,” See said.
According to a WSTC presentation, the overall theme of those 1,600 comments included “general opposition to the use of tolls” and “sentiment that proposed toll rates are too high.”
The WSTC also found there was “about twice as much support than opposition for higher tolls on vehicles with 3+ axles.”
The WSTC also received 200 emails during the public input period, which were “generally opposed to the use of tolling on the Expressways.”
In 2019, the state Legislature authorized bonding on tolls for the Puget Sound Gateway project to expedite the construction process completion to 2028 instead of 2031. Faced with a $155 million funding gap for the project, this year the state Legislature leveraged an additional $33 million in toll revenue and appropriated $121.8 million from the Move Ahead Washington account to close it.
