By: Lauren McLaughlin
For most of the year we’ve been telling people that big changes are coming to SR 167 this fall. That’s still true, but things will look a little different than originally planned due to a late-September bridge strike in Pacific, which triggered lane closures in the northbound direction until repairs are made.
Some of the changes are easy to spot if you’ve been driving on SR 167, but not all of them are obvious, so here’s a breakdown on what those changes are and what they mean for you.
Carpoolers must have a Flex Pass
The biggest change is for people who currently carpool on SR 167. Starting Oct. 20 if you want to continue to carpool toll free you will need to have a Good To Go!account and a Flex Pass set to HOV mode.
An example of the Good To Go! Flex Pass, that shows the pass in both modes. When you are traveling alone make sure “TOLL” is showing. When you are carpooling, make sure “HOV” is showing. |
If you do not have a Flex Pass set to HOV mode, you will be charged a toll for your trip regardless of how many people are in the vehicle.
Motorcycles will also need an account and a Motorcycle pass to continue to travel toll free.
You will still only need two people in the car to qualify as a carpool, but you must have the Flex Pass installed in the vehicle to travel toll-free. All other vehicles will pay a toll regardless of how many people are in the vehicle.
We currently have a limited number of Flex Passes available, and we’re giving them away at no cost. Visit www.GoodToGo167.com to get a promo code you can use to order a free one.
Now offering Pay By Mail
On all other toll roads in Washington, drivers have the choice to use the toll road without a Good To Go! account or pass, but that hasn’t been the case for SR 167. To legally use the lane, you needed to have a Good To Go! pass, or be a carpool.
This summer we updated the tolling equipment on SR 167, and that included installing cameras that will take a photo of your license plate if you do not have a pass so we can send you a bill in the mail after your trip. This allows drivers to decide in the moment if the toll is worth it for their trip.
New signs
As you’ve probably already noticed, the new signs list up to three different toll rates. That’s because we’re splitting SR 167 into three toll zones, like you see on I-405.
These zones allow us to better manage the toll rates throughout the corridor. If there’s heavy traffic in one toll zone, the toll rates might be higher in that area. If traffic is flowing freely in another area, the toll rate may be lower.
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The new toll rate signs will show up to three toll rates, one for each toll zone. You only need to pay attention to the toll rate listed by where you will exit the tolled lane. |
There will be three tolls listed on the sign, but you don’t add them up. You lock in the price you see when you enter the lanes, and you only pay the toll listed next to your planned exit.
The toll rates range between $1 and $15 if you have a Good To Go! account and pass, same as they do now. But you’ll only pay for the distance you travel.
New striping
Along with the new toll zones, SR 167 will be restriped. There will be dashed lines where you can enter or exit the tolled lane and double white lines everywhere else – which are illegal to cross.
What’s delayed
The original plan was to convert six miles of northbound HOV lane between Sumner and Pacific into an express tolled lane when the rest of the system changes went into effect. Given the current situation with the bridge strike in Pacific, we will be delaying the conversion of the HOV lane until all lanes of SR 167 reopen.
While we can’t delay all the changes, we wanted to provide some relief where it was possible to do so.
Why we can’t delay more
Delaying the start of the toll changes would substantially increase the cost of the project and jeopardize a future start date. Much of the remaining work is weather-dependent and we would run out of time to complete the work within the window of good weather this year.
Why these changes are needed
This work has been in progress since 2023 with the ultimate goal of creating an approximately 50-mile managed lane corridor. That would allow drivers to travel all the way between Sumner and Lynnwood without needing to exit the tolled lanes. To do that, the tolled lane on SR 167 needs to work the same way as the toll lanes on I-405.
The goal of express toll lanes is to provide a reliable trip for transit, carpoolers and drivers who choose to pay a toll. With the new rules and equipment in place, the toll lanes on SR 167 will provide a more reliable trip. As volumes increase in the express toll lanes, so does the toll rate, which helps avoid overfilling the lanes to ensure a reliable trip for people choosing to use the lanes.
History of the SR 167 HOT lanes
The SR 167 HOT lanes opened in 2008 as a pilot program to test if tolling could be used as traffic management tool. The pilot was one of the first of its kind in the country. At the time, the equipment was state-of-the-art. After 17 years, the equipment has aged and no longer meets the needs of our system or our customers.
Like all systems, tolling equipment must be regularly updated so it continues to work reliably. Our oldest toll road is the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. Earlier this year we updated all the equipment on the bridge for the first time in nearly 19 years. We also monitor other roadways as they age to make sure the equipment still meets our needs. We will consider equipment updates on those roads as needed.