The free ride is over on the 520 Bridge
Jun 19, 2017, 11:50 AM
The State Route 520 Bridge will no longer be free between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. ( via flickr)
( via flickr)
Drivers have less than two weeks to travel across the State Route 520 Bridge for free overnight.
Chokepoints:Diverging diamond will put drivers on wrong side of the road
It is currently free to drive on the bridge between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m., but that will change July 1.
The state is adding a $1.25 toll overnight for Good to Go customers. Bill-by-mail customers will be charged $3.25.
The overall toll rate on the bridge is also going up. A 5-percent, across-the-board increase goes into effect on July 1. That means drivers will pay an additional 20 cents for peak use tolls.
The Washington State Transportation Commission approved the increase in May after a public comment period and meetings.
The price increase will help the state pay for the new bridge. The new bridge opened April 2016. The bridge replacement and HOV program is estimated to cost more than $4 billion.
Approximately $1.2 billion of the project between I-5 and I-405 is funded through tolls.
The bridge carries about 77,000 vehicles per day over Lake Washington.
Bridge-related work isn’t finished yet either. This summer, for example, the West Approach Bridge North is expected to open to traffic. The 1.2-mile-long bridge will carry westbound traffic from the floating bridge to Montlake. The bicycle and pedestrian path will also be extended across Lake Washington.
