Electronic tolling begins on SR 520 Bridge

Electronic tolling on the state Route 520 Bridge begins, sending bridge drivers on their first pay-per-crossing trip or diverting to free, alternate routes.

At the stroke of five Thursday morning, the readerboard changed to reflect the $1.60  toll.

WSDOT posted on their Twitter page about the first car that went across the bridge.

"We just heard that the first "tolled" car to go across the 520 bridge was a Honda CRX going 76 mph!"

Though they said the tolling equipment does capture vehicle speeds, they won't be monitored.

The tolls to pay for a new SR 520 Bridge  have been planned for the last three years, but it's been three decades  since tolls were last collected on the bridge.

The tolls fluctuate over the course of the day, peaking at $3.50 for Good to Go! pass holders.   The $3.50 tolls are in effect during the peak hours of  7 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Drivers without the electronic passes will be billed an extra $1.50 per trip and mailed a bill based on a photo taken of their license plate.  Those billed by mail will have 15 days to pay or will receive a $40 citation.

• Special Section: 520 Tolling
• Tolls on the 520 Bridge: Answers to your questions

               WSDOT predicts around 20 percent of drivers crossing Lake Washington will use the Interstate 90 Bridge instead.

Officials said traffic on that bridge could be slowed by as much as 10 mph.

According to DOT studies, 5 percent of commuters will go around the north end of Lake Washington, another 5 percent will take Interstate 405  and 15 percent are expected to take the bus across.

The DOT said they also expect that some people will try to cross the 520 Bridge without paying the tolls.  This includes people trying to cover up their license plate.

    The State Patrol will be monitoring the 520 corridor even more closely in the days and weeks ahead.

  The WSP said drivers who try and trick the tolls usually end up paying the price.

“It’s been interesting. When people have tried to cheat on the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, they tend to drive at the same time every day.  So just recently, we were able to have the State Patrol pull over a couple people who tried to cheat the system,” said Craig Stone with WSDOT.

Authorities said they will also be watching for drivers who slow down or pull over on the freeway to try and delay their commute so they don't have to pay the higher toll at peak times.

Drivers who are owners of smartphones can also have help from apps to avoid the tolls legally.

Developer Jordan Phillipson and his partners have built an iPhone app called Toll Avoider, which can tell drivers what the current toll price is on the 520 Bridge, or route them to the I-90 Bridge or surface streets. The app is free until Friday and will cost $1 after that.

What Toll Avoider doesn’t do is factor in real-time traffic.

Another app, Toll Troll, does factor in current traffic conditions, but focuses solely on I-90 or 520 and ignores surface streets.

The app 520 or I90 has received good reviews, and the company that develops it said it will be available soon on most smartphones.

Follow this link for information and links to the apps.

WSDOT said drivers should now plan ahead and allow extra time, as traffic on all major roadways will be very different post-tolling.

               Officials said whatever happens on Thursday won’t be a true test of the tolling and the impact on other routes.  Thursday morning traffic was light.

   They said Tuesday, when everyone's back to work from the holidays, will be the first normal commute.

Even then, tolling officials said it's going to take weeks for drivers to settle into their new routine, and it will probably be June before analysts can see new driving patterns.

Meanwhile,  lots of people have said they want to know why the state is tolling the old  bridge  instead waiting until the new one is built.

According to the DOT, the state needs the money to pay for work that has already started on the new bridge, which is scheduled to open in 2014.

   They said  tolling now will reduce the amount that has to be financed and will save money over time.

The bridge was tolled from the time it opened in 1963 until it was paid off in 1979.

  At that time, the toll was just 35 cents each way and was collected at toll booths.