Highway 520 Bridge tolls necessary

It's official — kind of. In a region where highways are proudly called freeways — free being a reference to the price of use — tolls are coming. Tolls are necessary to help pay the cost of a new six-lane Highway 520 Bridge.

The Legislature passed — and this week the governor signed — legislation that says tolling on Highway 520, and perhaps onInterstate 90, will be used to pay roughly half the cost of a new $4.4 billion bridge linking Seattle and the Eastside.

The bill is vague in that it doesn't impose tolls, doesn't set the exact amount of tolls and does not determine if tolls also would be imposed on I-90 to prevent a traffic diversion to the no-cost route. This point is more complicated because the federal government must agree to allow tolls on I-90, a federal roadway.

The bill creates a committee to study technology, pricing, variable-price tolling, and the impacts on surrounding communities.

Another undecided is the notion of early tolling. Collecting tolls on Highway 520 as early as next year is the way to go because it could reduce the price of each trip over the long term. So far, a study suggested prices between $5 and $10 per round trip during rush hour. The figure could and should be kept to $6 or $7 per round trip during peak hours if imposed early enough.

Critics can say the legislation is much ado about not much, that it is just a framework for future decisions on tolling. That is partly true.

But the legislation is also comprehensive and impactful. State lawmakers and Gov. Christine Gregoire have agreed tolls are part of our future and tolls will be collected on Highway 520 for certain.

Tolls likely will be more expensive during peak hours, and that makes the most sense. Peak-hour pricing is the best way to change behavior and reduce unnecessary rush-hour trips.

Rising gas prices make tolling less palatable, but even as all the costs of moving from Point A to Point B become more expensive, tolls will help pay for a new bridge and apply a level of discipline to rush-hour travel.