Washington Launches Toll Route to Ease Freight Near Ports
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Washington will soon open part of a new toll route enabling truckers to move freight faster in an ongoing expressway project to bypass the congested Interstate 5 corridor to ease travel to the ports of Seattle and Tacoma.
This toll road launch is the first mile of the four-lane state by the Washington State Department of Transportation. Congestion on key access roadways, such SR 509 and I-5, creates barriers to efficiency for the state’s cargo operations, according to the 2022 Washington State Freight System Plan.
“The SR 509 Expressway is a new road, and ,” said Christopher Foster, toll division communications manager at WSDOT. “The expressway is part of a larger project, the Puget Sound Gateway Project. When the project is complete, it will create an important north-south alternative to the I-5 corridor in south King County and will help manage congestion by offering new freight connections between I-5 and the ports of Tacoma and Seattle, and SEA [Seattle-Tacoma International] airport.”
“Two additional miles, extending SR 509 from where it currently ends at South 188th Street to 24th Avenue South in SeaTac, are expected to open in 2028,” Foster said.
All routes that existed before the expressway opened will continue to be free to use. Only the new portion of SR 509 will be tolled.
SR 509 Expressway by Washington State Department of Transportation
“We encourage drivers to act now to prepare for tolling to begin by opening a nt. With Good To Go!, drivers save $2 on every toll and don’t have to worry about waiting for a bill in the mail,” Foster said.
Passenger vehicles are charged a toll ranging from $1.20 to $2.40, depending on the time of day when using the state’s Good To Go! toll account. Pay by mail rates are $3 higher. The new 3-mile-long SR 509 Expressway will be tolled at one electronic toll point without any tollbooths.
Vehicles with more than two axles pay a higher toll rate based on the number of axles. The following rates are based on Good To Go! rates and vary depending on the time of day. The rates for paying by mail are $4 higher.
- Four-axle vehicles — $2.40 to $4.80
- Five-axle vehicles — $3 to $6
- Six-axle vehicles—$3.60 to $7.20
The early morning hours to 5 a.m. and from 7 p.m. to midnight feature the lowest toll rates. The highest rates are from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Revenue from the tolls will pay for the road’s operating and maintenance costs as well as fund the Toll revenue is expected to infuse $213.2 million into the Gateway project’s $2.83 billion budget, Foster added.
The Gateway project combines King County’s SR 509 project with one in Pierce County — the SR 167 project — to enhance the state’s highway and freight network with new connections to its ports. Other benefits are to facilitate better freight movements and lower traffic congestion on local roads and highways.
The companion SR 167 expressway project will improve freight mobility to the Port of Tacoma, said Graham Johnson, port communications manager. The project calls for adding a new 6-mile highway between the Port of Tacoma and Puyallup that will add direct connections to I-5. The expressway will link to SR 509.
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“The expressway will be tolled, with variable rates set by the Washington State Transportation Commission and collected using overhead sensors that read Good to Go passes and license plates,” according to the Port of Tacoma.
One of North America’s largest deepwater container ports, the Port of Tacoma handles more than 70% of international cargo that either comes from or is delivered to the central and eastern United States. It also handles 80% of the marine cargo between Alaska and the lower 48 states.
