November is the start date for the tolling. Timing gives SR 99 drivers time to prepare and get a free Good To Go! Pass
By Emily Glad
WSDOT Toll Division communications
SEATTLE – Drivers using the State Route 99 tunnel will begin paying tolls on Nov. 9, 2019, the Washington State Department of Transportation announced today.
State law requires toll revenues from the SR 99 tunnel pay back construction bonds as well as pay to operate and maintain the nation’s largest double-decked road tunnel. The two-mile-long SR 99 tunnel runs underneath downtown Seattle and opened in February 2019.
A Good To Go! pass gives SR 99 tunnel drivers the lowest toll rates possible – from $1 to $2.25, depending on the time of day. Without a Good To Go! account, those same tolls will cost $2 more for each trip.
The Washington State Transportation Commission set the time-of-day toll rates for the SR 99 tunnel in 2018, after years of study and community involvement.
How to get a Good To Go! pass
There are a limited number of free Good To Go! sticker-passes available for SR 99 tunnel users. The best way to get a pass is online at 99tunnel.com. All existing Good To Go! passes will work in the SR 99 tunnel.
Passes can also be purchased at MyGoodToGo.com, select Fred Meyer and QFC locations and at walk-in customer service centers. The Good To Go! call center, 866-936-8246 can help customers, however, we anticipate longer than usual wait times for those calling.
Tolling and the ‘Seattle Squeeze’
Tolling the SR 99 tunnel will mark a new phase in the five-year-long Seattle Squeeze. During this time, an unprecedented number of private and public construction projects adds pressure to the transportation system to and through Seattle.
“All the local transportation agencies are working together to keep people and goods moving safely,” said Heather Marx, the Seattle Department of Transportation’s director of Downtown Mobility. “We encourage travelers to plan ahead, give themselves extra travel time, and continue to shift commute habits to help get us through the next five years.”
WSDOT and SDOT encourage travelers to use the WSDOT tools available to ‘know before you go’ and to use SDOT’s traffic page, which contains useful traffic links locally and regionally.
Hyperlinks within the release:
- Good To Go!: 99tunnel.com/good-to-go.htm
- Time of day toll rates: wsdot.wa.gov/tolling/sr-99-tunnel-toll-rates
- Free Good To Go! sticker pass: 99tunnel.com/good-to-go.htm
- com: www.99tunnel.com
- Fred Meyer and QFC: wsdot.wa.gov/GoodToGo/retail.htm
- Walk-in customer service centers: mygoodtogo.com/olcsc/#!contactUsView
- WSDOT tools available: wsdot.com/traffic/seattle/default.aspx
- SDOT’s traffic page: www.seattletraffic.org/tools/
WSDOT keeps people, businesses and the economy moving by operating and improving the state’s transportation systems. To learn more about what we’re doing, go to www.wsdot.wa.gov/news for pictures, videos, news and blogs. Real time traffic information is available at wsdot.com/traffic or by dialing 511.
