Traffic Payout

by guest blogger Emily Pace

Toll Division Director Craig Stone presents the  start date for tolling on the SR 520 Bridge

Get your Good To Go! Pass today

Tolling on the SR 520 Bridge starts Thursday, Dec. 29. We recommend you open a Good To Go! account now to avoid the inevitable last-minute rush before tolling starts.

To pay the lowest toll rate, it’s important to set up a Good To Go! account now to make sure you receive your Good To Go! Pass before tolling starts. The longer you wait, the longer the lines will be – either on the phone, in the store or online.

You can buy a Good To Go! Pass at retail stores, online at www.GoodToGo520.org, in-person at a customer service center, or by calling 1-866-936-8246. If you choose to order your pass online, we recommend you do it soon to allow plenty of time for delivery before tolling starts.

If you’ve already got your Good To Go! Pass and it’s sitting on your counter, don’t forget to activate it (if you bought it at a retail store) and install it in your vehicle. You should also make sure all your account information is up to date.

To prepare for the expected high volumes of customers registering and activating accounts this month, WSDOT has extended call center hours, added capacity to the phone lines and Good To Go! web page and hired extra customer service staff.

Knowledge is power. We want drivers to become experts on the topic of SR 520 tolling: know your travel options and know the rates. To help you get a start, we’ve gathered the top five things drivers should know. Check ‘em out and feel free to ask us any other questions that come to mind.

Top Five Things to Know About SR 520 Tolls:

1. A Good To Go! Pass is the cheapest, easiest way to pay the toll. If you travel the SR 520 Bridge at least once a month, we recommend opening a Good To Go! account. You’ll save $1.50 in tolls each time you cross the bridge with a Good To Go! Pass.


2. Toll rates vary by time of day. Toll rates vary by time of day to help improve traffic. Toll rates are most expensive during peak travel times and cheaper during off-peak periods. As some drivers shift their drive times, we expect traffic to improve during peak hours.


3. There will be no toll booths. All tolls will be collected electronically. With a pre-paid Good To Go! account, tolls are automatically deducted without stopping or slowing down.


4. There’s more bus service. To give drivers an alternative to paying the toll, King County Metro and Sound Transit have added 130 daily bus trips to routes on SR 520 for a total of 700 every weekday.


5. Tolling helps pay for a new SR 520 Bridge. The revenue generated from toll helps build a new, more reliable and safer bridge. The target date for opening the new bridge is 2014.