WATCH: No more free carpool lanes on SR 167 this fall

(The Center Square) – Some big changes are coming to State Route 167 between Sumner and Renton in Washington state.

Starting this fall, carpools on the SR 167 High Occupancy Toll, or HOT, lanes will no longer be free. Drivers must purchase for $15 a Flex Pass set to High Occupancy Vehicle, or HOV, mode and a Good To Go! account to use the lanes toll-free. This change is part of an upgrade to the SR 167 express toll lanes, which includes new toll zones and expanded access for drivers without a Good To Go! account.

“The goal is to seamlessly connect three toll facilities [the Interstate 405 express toll lanes between Lynnwood and Bellevue, the SR 167 HOT lanes, and the future I-405 express toll lanes between Bellevue and Renton], creating an approximately 50-mile tolled corridor,” Washington State Department of Transportation Toll Division Communications Manager Christopher Foster emailed The Center Square.

Foster noted that when the new equipment is operational this fall, “Drivers who want to carpool toll-free in the toll lanes on SR 167 will need a Good To Go! account and a Flex Pass set to HOV mode. The cameras we’re installing only take photos of a vehicle’s license plate, not the inside of the vehicle. As such, the Flex Pass set to HOV mode allows drivers to mark their trip as carpool and use the lanes toll-free when they have the required number of passengers.”

Drivers without a Good To Go! account and Flex Pass will receive a bill in the mail, with a $2 fee added to the toll rate for the HOV lane at the time the driver used the lane.

Tolls on SR 167 fluctuate based on real-time traffic conditions and range from $1 to $15.

SR 167 will soon be divided into three toll zones, similar to how I-405 tolling works. WSDOT will then adjust toll rates based on congestion.

The Center Square contacted Sen. Curtis King, R-Yakima, the ranking Republican on the Senate Transportation Committee, for comment on the coming changes.

“I think they want to call it a 50-mile corridor that has all of the same equipment and allows you to do all the same things,” he said. “But as with everything else the government does, you're probably going to have to pay more to do it.”

King questioned how the new system will deal with out-of-towners.

“Where I have real concerns is what about the guests that come to visit our great state? They don't have the Flex Pass, of course,” he noted. “They see a lane that says two or more [is carpool] and they’ve got their wife and three kids in the car and they get over there and they go. And then when they get home, they're going to find a bill in their mailbox. Welcome to Washington. You get to pay.”

Foster admitted it will take some getting used to on the part of drivers.

“We know this will be a big adjustment for many drivers,” he said. “Before the changes take place, we’ll be giving away a limited number of free Flex Passes. We’ll be sure to give drivers plenty of notice before this offer is available. Drivers can also sign up for a free Good To Go! account by choosing the Pay As You Go option, through which drivers are only charged for tolls after they drive.

Foster said WSDOT does not yet have a timetable for the free Flex Pass giveaway.

“We always encourage drivers to reach out to us with any questions or concerns they have,” he said. “If drivers intending to carpool in the lanes receive a bill, let us know and we will work with them to find a solution and ensure they understand how to carpool toll-free going forward.”

Some areas of the highway will soon be restriped, with double white lines marking where drivers can or cannot enter and exit the tolled lane.