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Shoulder driving along I-405 is saving commuters time and money.

The state began letting evening commuters use the shoulder on the nearly 2-mile stretch of I-405 between 527 and I-5 in April.

The change has traffic moving faster. And toll rates, which are linked to congestion, have gone down, .

Before shoulder driving began, 16 percent of evening tolls there were in the $8 to $10 range. That’s down to 4 percent.

Meanwhile, the Washington State Department of Transportation says now that there’s shoulder driving, 16 percent of evening drivers who pay tolls are only paying $1 to $2.

The Everett Herald reports that while tolls are down, drivers are still dealing with a new bottleneck at the interchange to northbound I-5, where shoulder driving ends.