The following is a release from the Washington State Department of Transportation:

The second morning commute using the Interstate 405 express toll lanes is officially in the books, with more drivers trying out the new lanes.

“Traffic volumes in the express toll lanes increased from Monday to Tuesday morning,” said Assistant Secretary Craig Stone. “While Tuesday morning’s general purpose traffic was slow, it was within the range we’ve seen for commutes on I-405 in the past few years. We’re closely monitoring traffic as drivers continue to adjust.”

Estimated travel times for vehicles traveling southbound between Lynnwood and Bellevue in the general purpose lanes, were 55 minutes at 6:50 a.m., 68 minutes at 7:45 a.m. and 68 minutes at 8:45 a.m.

Tuesday morning, drivers traveling in the express toll lanes between Lynnwood and Bellevue experienced free-flow traffic for the second day in a row for an average $1.75 toll and a 17 minute trip.

I-405 express toll lanes data from Monday

Travel volumes in the express toll lanes on Monday were modest with toll rates averaging $1.50 during the morning’s highest two hours, saving drivers 30 minutes along the 17-mile corridor.  The remaining hours of the day, the toll rate stayed near 75 cents.

“The number of vehicles using the I-405 corridor has remained the same since the start of the express toll lanes,” said Stone. “We’re not seeing drivers taking I-5 to bypass the I-405 corridor.”

Northbound I-405 Bellevue to Lynnwood

• General Purpose lane volume: 67,100 vehicles
• Express toll lane volume: 8,900 vehicles

Southbound I-405 Bellevue to Lynnwood

• General Purpose lane volume: 66,000 vehicles
• Express toll lane volume: 10,900 vehicles