Tolls May Rise At SR 520 Bridge, 99 Tunnel And Tacoma Narrows

GIG HARBOR, WA — The Tacoma Narrows Bridge, SR 520 Bridge, and SR 99 Tunnel will likely all see their toll rates rise before year's end.

The Washington State Transportation Commission held a meeting to discuss the issue Tuesday, and while the toll rate increases are a long way from being finalized, it did provide some hints at what drivers should expect.

SR 520 Bridge Proposals

For the SR 520 bridge, commissioners are weighing two dueling proposals.

Under the first option, tolls would increase multiple times until they had grown 15 percent by July 1, 2023. Under that proposal, morning and afternoon peak periods would increase by an hour, there would be no increase to the minimum toll, but the maximum tolls would increase 5 percent with higher midday and evening toll raises.

The second option would be to increase it all at once, a flat 15 percent raise on tolls on July 1, 2023.

SR 99 Tunnel Proposals

Like the 520 Bridge, commissioners are considering two different tolling options for the 99 Tunnel. Both plans assume the already-announced 3 percent toll increase set for July 1, 2022 would remain in effect.

The first is a uniform 15 percent toll increase starting Oct. 1, 2021.

The second option is a $0.25 toll increase to all tolls, also beginning Oct. 1, 2021. As the commission notes, a flat increase of a quarter is roughly a 16 percent increase on weekend tolling, meaning this option would make weekend tunnel tolls slightly more expensive than the first.

Tacoma Narrows Bridge Proposal

Meanwhile, the Tacoma Narrows Bridge is only facing one proposal, a flat 25 cent rate increase starting Oct. 1, 2021.

As the commission explains, the toll increases are necessary to offset millions of dollars lost due to the decreased number of drivers using toll roads during the pandemic.

"We've lost traffic, but a good chunk of our operations and maintenance costs remain fixed," said Brent Baker, Managing Director for WSP USA.

The toll rate increases are far from a done deal, however, and the public will have multiple options to weigh in before they're finalized. On July 15, the Washington State Transportation Commission will hold another meeting to narrow down their options, and then will open the doors for public input. On July 20, they will choose the final proposed rate increases and then begin another public comment period. That will last until Aug. 24 when they finally adopt the toll rate increases.

Once that happens, the toll rate increases are set to go into effect starting Oct. 1.