Drivers hoping to avoid tolls on the State Route 520 Bridge can get some help on their iPhones, thanks to one man’s hankering for Thai food.

“My favorite Thai restaurant is over on the other side, in Kirkland, and that was the first thing that came to mind when they said new, expensive tolls are going to start,” developer Jordan Phillipson said.

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 Interstate 90 Bridge or surface streets. The app is free until Friday and will cost $1 after that.

Toll Avoider at the iTunes App Store: itunes.apple.com/us/app/toll-avoider/id485155030?mt=8

http://bcove.me/bdxh0def

Full SR 520 Bridge toll coverage:

• KIRO 7's 520 Bridge toll special section
• WSDOT's Frequently Asked Questions about 520 tolls

“Everybody knows how to get to work – that’s not what this is going to be used for, but destination changes,” Phillipson said. “Instead of just telling you Seattle-to-Bellevue or Bellevue-to-Seattle, it already knows your location, so you go from there.”

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. You tell a troll featured in the app how much your time is worth (in dollars) and based on your input and the current traffic conditions, the troll’s face will be happy, indifferent or upset. The app is free and available for the iPhone, Android, Windows Phone and on the web.

Toll Troll's website: fnxstudios.com/about/tolltroll

The app 520 or I90 has received good reviews, and the company that develops it said it will be available soon on most smartphones: 520or90.com/

Many of the other 520 toll apps are available only on the Windows Phone – not surprising, considering how many Microsoft workers have to cross the bridge to get to the company’s campus in Redmond.

Several more Windows Phone apps are in the works, according to GeekWire. You can check them out at this link: www.geekwire.com/2011/520-toll-apps

Eastbound lanes on 520 Bridge to close until 5 a.m. Thursday

Anyone traveling eastbound over the bridge and hoping to get a jump on Thursday morning traffic is out of luck. WSDOT said it will shut down the eastbound lanes overnight until 5 a.m. Thursday to uncover toll signs on the bridge.