There will be no road closures, no traffic bans, no loss of parking, and no new transit lines opening. Call it the "tolling effect" on Nov. 9 when motorists have to pay to drive through the two-mile State Route 99 tunnel that opened last February.
"Traffic inside the new SR 99 tunnel could see a big reduction when the tolls go into effect next month, state and city transportation leaders told the Seattle City Council on Monday," reports Kara Kostanich of KOMO News.
The Washington State Department of Transportation [WSDOT] says between 30% and 50% of the more than 80,00 drivers who use the tunnel daily could divert out of the tunnel when tolling starts on November 9.
WSDOT predicts drivers will use transit, work from home or find alternatives routes.
Five thousand cars travel through the tunnel every hour during during peak times. After tolling starts, that number is expected to drop to around 3,200 vehicles per hour [36% reduction].
Officials predict that after initial drop, traffic through the tunnel will creep back up over the next few months settling around 4,200 cars per hour [16% reduction].
Tolls, while 24/7 and bi-directional, are modest for the two-mile, four-lane tunnel (two lanes in each direction), ranging from $1.00 to $2.25, depending on the day, time and direction for those with a "Good To Go!" pass. Add $2 for "Pay-By Mail".
And the tolls are not punitive. As posted earlier, the state legislature determined in 2012 that tolling would be needed to raise $200 million of the $3.3 billion it cost for the Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Program (including $223 million from cost overruns due to "Bertha" tunneling woes) and cover ongoing operation and maintenance costs.
The tunnel opened to traffic on February 3.
Related in Planetizen:
-
New Marketing Campaign: Pushing People to Drive More in Seattle, January 27, 2019
-
Setting the Toll for New Seattle Tunnel, May 31, 2018
Hat tip to IBTTA Smart Brief.
FULL STORY: SR 99 tunnel traffic to take at least a 30% hit from tolling
A Permanent Decline in Revenue Forecasted for the Tunnel Bertha Built in Seattle
Public transit isn't the only mode struggling to attract the expected number of users in 2022. State Route 99 in Downtown Seattle is also failing to live up to expectations and struggling to make ends meet.
Setting the Toll for New Seattle Tunnel
The Washington State Transportation Commission has begun the planning process to determine the toll schedule for the tunnel that replaces part of the Alaskan Way Viaduct that opens this fall. They must raise six percent of the $3.3 billion cost.
Seattle Emerges From Tolled Tunnel Unscathed
Promises of congestion and thousands of cars spilling on to quiet residential streets proved unfounded after the first week with tolls on the Highway 91 tunnel in Seattle.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
New Jersey’s second-largest city bans standalone data centers
Jersey City will continue to allow co-location facilities, such as those meant for research institutions that store their own data.
Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds
A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.
EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants
Under Monday’s plan, power plants would still have some limits on how much mercury, arsenic and other contaminants they can emit.
Phoenix announces new on-demand transit service, more frequent RAPID buses
Both new services will launch in October, and are part of Phoenix's Project Effective Access Solutions for Easing Congestion.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association