Seattle to get federal money for bridge tolls

Share

By Associated Press

Summary

The federal government has agreed to pay $138.7 million to help replace the State Route 520 floating bridge across Lake Washington. The catch: The state Legislature must approve tolls for drivers on the current bridge.

Story Published: Aug 14, 2007 at 10:05 AM PDT

Story Updated: Feb 23, 2010 at 5:17 PM PDT

Seattle to get federal money for bridge tolls
WASHINGTON (AP) - The federal government has agreed to pay $138.7 million to help replace the State Route 520 floating bridge across Lake Washington.

The catch: The state Legislature must approve tolls for drivers on the current bridge.

A grant announced Tuesday by U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters is dependent on tolls for the 44-year-old floating bridge, which carries about 160,000 people per day between Seattle and its Eastside suburbs.

The plan is similar to one announced by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg to reduce traffic by charging tolls for driving into the busiest parts of Manhattan. In Seattle's case, tolls on the 520 bridge would vary based on traffic demands and the time of day - the best way to reduce congestion in the crowded region, officials said.

"We must stop relying on yesterday's ideas to fight today's traffic jams," Peters said.

Seattle and New York were among five cities awarded federal grants for what officials called innovative local traffic solutions, including so-called congestion pricing.

San Francisco, Miami and Minneapolis also received money. Divers in Minnesota are still trying to find four missing motorists from a catastrophic bridge collapse that killed at least nine people Aug. 1.

Peters said Seattle's proposal to combine tolls with increased use of mass transit and telecommuting stood out.

"King County leaders believe that getting to work should not be a grind in this community of coffee lovers," she said at a news conference.

The grant agreement calls for tolls on the existing 520 bridge by 2009, but lawmakers say details on when and how the tolls would be imposed have not been decided. Still, tolls are likely to be a major part of the new floating bridge and other mega-projects in the state, said state Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen, D-Camano Island, chairwoman of the state Senate Transportation Committee. The new Tacoma Narrows Bridge is already being paid for with tolls, she noted.

The floating bridge and the accompanying six-lane corridor between Interstates 5 and 405 could cost more than $4 billion. Construction would be staged, with work on bridge pontoons starting next year and actual bridge construction in 2011. The new bridge - which would include HOV lanes for cars, buses and other vehicles with more than one occupant - would not open until 2018.

The 520 is one of two floating bridges crossing Lake Washington; the other carries Interstate 90 across the lake.

The state has earmarked $560 million for the project and another $1 billion mega-project construction pool also could be tapped. A November ballot measure to be decided by Seattle-area voters includes $1.1 billion for the 520 project.

Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said the bridge project "will help protect our region's commuters and reduce the traffic congestion that keeps families apart."

"As we have seen recently, there is a critical need to invest in our nation's infrastructure and protect those who rely on the safety of our roads and bridges," said Murray, chairwoman of the Senate Transportation Appropriations subcommittee.

King County Executive Ron Sims said the region's success in securing the grant shows that a state, county and local partnership "is now ranked among the best in the nation, and the 520 bridge replacement is a federal priority."

Washington Gov. Chris Gregoire has asked Washington's bridge inspectors for a quick report on the state's 3,000 bridges, in response to the deadly bridge collapse in Minneapolis.

Gregoire and the Legislature are particularly worried about the potential collapse of two high-traffic spans in the Seattle area: the floating bridge and the Alaskan Way Viaduct along the Elliott Bay waterfront. The Legislature has appropriated early spending for the projects, but design and full financing still are question marks.