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Toll roads and HOT Lanes

Started by Bruce, May 12, 2015, 03:23:29 PM

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Bruce

Governor Inslee held a press conference today outlining some changes to be made to the I-405 express toll lanes, as well as some other improvements to I-5 and incident response:

Quote
Inslee directs changes to I-405 express toll lanes, repairs to I-5 and funding for more Incident Response Teams
February 16, 2016 - Governor Inslee's Communications Office

Gov. Jay  Inslee today announced a slate of changes to improve safety and reduce congestion along the most congested areas of I-5 and I-405 including short- and long-term fixes to the I-405 express toll lanes, the need to replace aging expansion joints on Interstate 5, and to promote additional funding for WSDOT's  incident response teams.

http://www.governor.wa.gov/news-media/inslee-directs-changes-i-405-express-toll-lanes-repairs-i-5-and-funding-more-incident




jakeroot

The Washington State Transportation Commission ordered the 405 toll lanes to be free on nights, weekends, and holidays. This new tolling schedule began yesterday. Before the ETL, the 405 HOV lanes north of Bellevue operated as 2+ 0500 to 1900 7 days a week, but now operate as Pass/HOV 2/3+ 0500 to 1900 Monday through Friday. This means that, for example, at 1330 on a Saturday, there will no longer be HOV lanes north of Bellevue. Very strange, at least to me; Seattle has never had day-of-the-week restrictions for "HOV" lanes before.



Additionally, the weave-style access point for the ETL north of the 520 Fwy is now skip-stripe. This allowed for a longer merge from the 520, as well as a longer access point, a chief complaint among drivers. Here's a diagram from WSDOT:


myosh_tino

Quote from: jakeroot on March 19, 2016, 07:17:22 PM
The Washington State Transportation Commission ordered the 405 toll lanes to be free on nights, weekends, and holidays. This new tolling schedule began yesterday. Before the ETL, the 405 HOV lanes north of Bellevue operated as 2+ 0500 to 1900 7 days a week, but now operate as Pass/HOV 2/3+ 0500 to 1900 Monday through Friday. This means that, for example, at 1330 on a Saturday, there will no longer be HOV lanes north of Bellevue. Very strange, at least to me; Seattle has never had day-of-the-week restrictions for "HOV" lanes before.



That new setup for the I-405 Express Lanes in the Seattle area is the primary way express lanes are setup in northern California.  Both the newly opened I-580 Express Lanes and the I-680 Southbound Express Lane are only in operation Monday thru Friday from 5:00 AM to 8:00 PM.  The lanes are open to all to use without paying a toll at all other times.  The one difference though is holidays.  AFAIK, the express lanes here will operate on holidays but given the lack of commute traffic, tolls will be very low.
Quote from: golden eagle
If I owned a dam and decided to donate it to charity, would I be giving a dam? I'm sure that might be a first because no one really gives a dam.

TEG24601

One question I can't get answered...


Are the double, double striped lines enforced when the lanes are open to all?
They said take a left at the fork in the road.  I didn't think they literally meant a fork, until plain as day, there was a fork sticking out of the road at a junction.

jakeroot

Quote from: TEG24601 on March 21, 2016, 12:27:17 PM
One question I can't get answered...

Are the double, double striped lines enforced when the lanes are open to all?

Enforced? I don't think there'll ever be an official answer there. But the white lines are still illegal to cross. They answered this on the WSDOT Blog:

Quote
Use the designated access points. Drivers must observe the designated access points, and are not permitted to cross the double white lines at any time. Failure to observe these rules may result in a $136 ticket. WSDOT designed an express toll lanes interactive map to help drivers learn the access points and plan trips.

Rothman

Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position(s) of NYSDOT.

The Ghostbuster

Would the Express Lanes work better if they went the entire length of Interstate 405?

Bruce

Quote from: The Ghostbuster on March 22, 2016, 04:44:43 PM
Would the Express Lanes work better if they went the entire length of Interstate 405?

That's the plan. The southern segment was unfunded until just recently. It also is only 2+HOV south of I-90, so it would mean a controversial widening through a narrow strip of land between some hills and the lake.

jakeroot

Quote from: Bruce on March 22, 2016, 04:49:59 PM
Quote from: The Ghostbuster on March 22, 2016, 04:44:43 PM
Would the Express Lanes work better if they went the entire length of Interstate 405?

That's the plan. The southern segment was unfunded until just recently. It also is only 2+HOV south of I-90, so it would mean a controversial widening through a narrow strip of land between some hills and the lake.

They're currently clearing land in Talbot Hill for an HOV connector ramp between the 405 and 167 freeways (http://goo.gl/AtKIVm). Once those freeways are connected, and the 405 ETL extended south, I wonder if they'll change the 167's HOT system into an ETL system? It seems odd to me to require a pass for only part of the route between Auburn and Lynnwood. WSDOT looks at the 167/405 express lanes as one route, so I would assume that one will change into the other at some point.



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