Floating Bridge Tolls Start

The Washington Department of Transportation is set to begin tolling on the State Route 520 floating bridge on Dec. 29.

The tolls will be used to help fund the building of a replacement for the floating bridge, which is a main artery connecting Seattle with Bellevue across Lake Washington. The tolling comes after a delay of several months because the state DOT ran into technical problems.

The new system will bill drivers automatically.

The bridge project is expected to cost around $4.65 billion. In October, the state issued more than $500 million of general obligation bonds that were also backed by toll revenue and fuel tax collections to help fund the project.

State officials so far have identified $2.43 billion of funding for the 520 bridge: $1.75 billion from tolls and future federal funds, $550 from state gas taxes, $120 million in sales tax deferral, and $100 from the federal government, according to the DOT. It is still trying to find $2 billion to finish the bridge.

The bridge tolling, which is expected to bring in around $1 million a week, will mostly be used to pay off debt service.

Tolls for cars will vary from free during low traffic times to $3.50 each way during peak congestion hours, with higher tolls for trucks and other larger vehicles.

Drivers will be charged through transponders attached to their car, and if they lack the electronic pass, a camera will record their license plate and they will be mailed a bill plus a $1.50 surcharge.

According to the DOT, around 115,000 vehicles use the existing bridge each day, though it was designed to handle only 65,000.

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Transportation industry Washington
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