Remove I-405 tolls and replace with gas tax | Letter

Published 9:40 am Monday, December 21, 2015

Regarding the toll lane situation on I-405, I would recommend that the Washington State Legislature consider raising the State gas tax 10 cents a gallon as a way to raise transportation revenues to pay for needed improvements in our transportation systems versus the toll approach. With gas now down to under $2.50 a gallon in many areas, now is the time to provide needed revenue to our state to help fix our roads and bridges across our state that need repair or improvement. To encourage carpooling, address peak hour traffic issues, and to help reduce carbon emissions, the Department of Transportation should return the left lane on I-405 for its entire length to HOV-2. The second restricted lane now constructed on the middle portion of I-405 could be exclusively dedicated for buses in peak Monday through Friday commute hours. When and if Sound Transit gains approval to fund bus rapid transit on the I-405 corridor, this peak hour bus lane could also serve the Bus Rapid Transit program.

The tax on gasoline is equitable because the more miles people drive, and the more fuel they consume, the more they contribute to improvements in our transportation system.

Keith Dunbar, Kirkland