Good to Go HOV lane changes
Changes are coming to the I-405 express toll lanes. Starting at 7 p.m. this Friday, March 18, I-405 express toll lanes will be free and open to all on weeknights, weekends, and some holidays.
Express toll lanes will continue to operate normally between 5 a.m. and 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. The rest of the time the lanes will be free, including:
- Weeknights from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m.
- All day on weekends
- Holidays: New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, July Fourth, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day.
When the lanes are free you won’t need any kind of Good To Go! pass to drive in those lanes, and it doesn’t matter how many people you have in your car – even if you’re alone you can use the lanes. No tolls will be charged during those hours. Learn more about these changes by on our blog.
When the lanes are free and the signs above the roadway show ‘open to all’ please keep in mind:
- It will still be illegal to cross the double white lines. Drivers will need to continue to use designated access points.
- Solo drivers are not allowed to use the direct access ramps at NE 6th Street in downtown Bellevue and NE 128th Street in Totem Lake. During these times, solo drivers will need to follow roadway signage and use an alternative access point to enter and exit the lanes. Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is looking for options to improve access and/or signing in these areas.
- Trucks over 10,000 pounds gross vehicle weight are always restricted from using the I-405 express toll lanes.
Improvements to the I-405 express toll lanes
Since express toll lanes opened last September, regional drivers have made millions of trips in the express toll lanes, showing us how much they value reliability during the weekday commute. However, we’re also listening to the concerns and input we’ve received from drivers and are evaluating solutions to make the express toll lanes better for everyone.
In February, Governor Jay Inslee and the state legislature directed WSDOT to make changes to the I-405 express toll lanes. Changes to the hours of operations are part of more than a dozen adjustments to the I-405 express toll lanes corridor to increase capacity and improve operations including:
- Improved striping and signage.
- Longer access points, including changes to the northbound I-405 access point at SR 520 happening this weekend, that make it easier for drivers to merge into the toll lanes.
- New merge-and-weave lanes and hard running shoulders at key northbound I-405 chokepoints near SR 520 and SR 527.