Acting on behalf of the Interstate 405 and State Route 167 Executive Advisory Group, Kirkland Mayor Joan McBride recently advised the Washington Transportation Commission to adopt a carpool policy for express toll lanes along Interstate 405 that would exempt carpools with three or more occupants from paying the toll during rush hour traffic.

At the Kirkland City Hall meeting on Nov. 20, McBride said two state requirements for the tolling project were the driving force in that decision: maintain speed in the express toll lanes and generate the required revenue.

The Washington Transportation Commission is responsible for setting toll rates.

“We’ve been looking at this for 10 years, in detail for the last four,” McBride said in a phone interview.

The Bellevue to Lynnwood I-405 expansion, currently in construction, will add one more HOV lane in a large section of the route, resulting in two express toll lanes available for drivers between Bellevue and Bothell. It will then taper into one express toll lane at the north end of I-405. Officials expect the project to be finished in 2015.

Aside from being able to sustain toll lane operation after the first two years, the tolled lanes must maintain 45 mph for 90 percent of the time during peak traffic. If the tolled lanes do not meet state standards, then the project will cease, according to RCW 47.56.880.

For this reason, McBride said it wouldn’t be viable if the tolls were free for a two-plus person carpool because it wouldn’t generate the required revenue nor would it make the tolled lanes congestion free.

“I wish that there was a way we didn’t have to do tolling,” McBride said. “I wish that was the world we lived in but unless we’re willing to take more land from the city of Kirkland and the cities along I-405 and just double the size – we can’t build our way out of congestion – so we must manage what we have.”

If funding is secured for the Bellevue to Renton express toll lane “direct connecter” in the next proposed transportation package from the Legislature, the group’s recommendation for the three-plus carpool policy would also potentially apply for that section of I-405.

In a letter to WSDOT Secretary Lynn Peterson and Washington State Transportation Commission chairman Dan O’Neal, the Executive Advisory Group recommended phasing for the Bellevue to Renton project should “occur as soon as possible.”

The group also advised a medium funding option of $960 million for the Bellevue to Renton express toll lanes.

The letter was signed by McBride, Bellevue City Councilman Kevin Wallace, Snohomish County Councilman and Puget Sound Regional Councilman Dave Gossett, Tukwila Mayor Jim Haggerton, Algona Mayor David Hill, Sound Transit Board Member Fred Butler, Sumner Mayor Dave Enslow, Auburn Mayor Peter Lewis and Newcastle Mayor Rich Crispo.

And the group said their carpool recommendation will be the least impactful to local streets and it will move more people along I-405.

However, Kirkland resident David Condon disagrees with the three-plus person carpool exemption.

He said the recommendation fails to think about citizens who only own a two-seat car, such as a Smart Car or a Mini Cooper.

“That wipes out all sorts of [cars],” said Condon, who attended the meeting. “It defeats the purpose of buying small urban cars that don’t take up much space. It’s going to be a major impact out there.”

Condon also questioned whether there was the chance for the Kirkland community to give input on these issues but McBride said several focus groups and public outreach efforts were held by WSDOT throughout the region over the last few years.

“We’ve had public comment every meeting we’ve had,” she said. “But I do understand … it has been a long process. I’ve been on the I-405 executive committee for eight years, maybe even longer. This is not government making quick decisions.”

Condon is not alone in his distaste.

In a 2013 telephone survey of 975 I-405 commuters and King County Metro van-poolers, there was little support for changing the definition of a carpool to three or more people. Only 25 percent of those surveyed would have even qualified for the three-plus carpool policy.

In 2012 focus group key findings, the participants who have experience with the SR 167 HOT lanes stated they were more inclined to prefer the three-plus carpool free during peak traffic and two-plus carpool free during off peak traffic because they “more clearly understood the advantages of the express toll lanes, and prefer some type of ‘free’ option for carpoolers (both three-plus and two-person).”

According to WSDOT documents, there are also several federal aspects to consider in regard to the carpool policy.

The Federal Highway Administration advised WSDOT that any carpool policy other than three-plus will require reevaluation of the I-405 express toll lane project National Environment Policy Act documentation.

Federal law MAP-21 also stresses the importance of a 45 mph tolled lane but does not have such sanctions as the state law.

McBride said while some people may see the three-plus carpool policy as a shock, she said being stuck on I-405 in the worst of traffic conditions is the shock.

“When you’re on I-405 and you’ve got to get to your kid’s soccer game and it’s raining and it’s cold, and you’re stuck in traffic for an hour when you planned for 15 minutes, that’s not OK,” she said. “We need a way for that mother and father to get to their child. We need speed and reliability.”

WSDOT officials recommended the minimum toll rate would likely be around 75 cents with the maximum toll rate yet to be determined. Officials said the toll rate could change up to every five minutes and would be based on traffic flow. While the maximum toll rate on SR 167 is $9, the I-405 tolled lanes could essentially not have a maximum rate, officials discussed at the meeting.

There are still many options on the table, such as the minimum and maximum toll rates, the use of photo tolling and how drivers will pay.

Next month, officials will discuss carpool and motorcycle polices. In January, minimum and maximum rates, pay by mail differential and discussions on exemptions will ensue.

For more information, visit www.wstc.wa.gov.