Tolling begins on new western Washington highway. Here’s how much you’ll pay
Tolling this week started on certain roadways under the Puget Sound Gateway Program, a nearly $3 billion project from the Washington State Department of Transportation that seeks to “complete critical missing links” in the state’s highway and freight network.
The program includes a new expressway on State Route 509 and an extension of State Route 167 between I-5 and SR 509 in Pierce County. As of 5 a.m. Monday, Sept. 29, WSDOT began enforcing a toll on the State Route 509 expressway between I-5 and 24th Avenue South in SeaTac. Tolls on the SR 509 expressway range from $1.20 to $2.40 for two-axle vehicles, depending on time of day. Vehicles that are not linked to a Good to Go! account will receive a toll bill that is $2 higher for each trip.
WSDOT spokesperson Chris Foster told The News Tribune that the department is building the new State Route 167 expressway, and the section that runs from I-5 in Fife and State Route 509 in Tacoma is scheduled to open next fall.
“All lanes will be tolled,” he wrote. “We do not have an exact date for the opening of this section and when tolling will begin.”
The Washington State Transportation Commission this summer set toll rates for the two expressways under the Puget Sound Gateway Program. For drivers traveling east of I-5 on the SR 167 expressway, the toll will range from $1.20 to $3. For drivers traveling west of I-5 the toll will be $1 at all times. The rates increase depending on the number of axles a vehicle has, and the toll for both SR 167 and 509 will increase by 2.15% annually starting July of 2030, according to the commission.
