The Herald reports that after the first full year of operation, WSDOT’s I-405 Express Lanes usage and toll revenue is exceeding projections, according to a presentation by the agency to the state House Transportation Committee. On the down side, “the speed standard is not getting met — though it’s close.” Patty Rubstello, assistant secretary for WSDOT’s toll division, told lawmakers that express lane traffic travels at the federally required minimum speed only 85 percent of the time. According to The Herald, “While that’s better than the 60 percent seen for traffic in the former carpool lanes, it isn’t what the Legislature wants. Rubstello said the primary reason continues to be ‘one trouble spot’ in the northbound direction, north of Bothell in Snohomish County.” The newspaper adds that WSDOT officials “are looking into the costs of two express toll lanes in each direction for the entire corridor. . . . More information will be presented Dec. 15 to the Joint Transportation Committee, a bipartisan panel of House and Senate members.”
