Seattle Bridge Toll Eases Traffic. Will It Boost Transit, Too?

Located on a pair of peninsulas, the city of Seattle isn't so easy to reach from its eastern suburbs. Only two bridges cross Lake Washington. Newly-installed tolls across one of the two, the SR-520 bridge, have the potential to seriously reshape travel patterns in the region.

Already, traffic on the SR-520 bridge appears to have cleared up significantly. Reports Network member Publicola, "Not only is traffic on 520 itself 'a breeze,' but traffic seems to have eased on I-5, and perhaps I-405, the two north-south routes that connect 520 to parallel (and untolled) I-90, as well." That congestion relief is coming during the Wednesday morning rush, the busiest traffic time of the week.

It's too early to say whether the tolls' traffic-busting effects will last, but congestion relief on three major highways would be big news. The possible impact of the tolls, though, could be even larger than a speedier drive into Seattle. Explains Sightline Daily's Clark Williams-Derry, whose post inspired Publicola's article:

If commuters headed into Seattle from across the lake are switching to the bus instead of just finding a new route to work, the new tolls could be the first step toward a more transit-friendly Seattle.

Elsewhere on the Network: Cyclelicious catches House of Representatives Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA), who wants to strip federal funding from programs like bike-share and safe routes to school, enjoying what looks like a beautiful bike ride. The Hard Drive profiles a new service that helps Portland homeowners rent out their unused driveways. And everyone's talking about a Freakonomics forum on the profitability of Amtrak.