A petition posted on change.org last week seeking to freeze or eliminate tolls on the Tacoma Narrows Bridge generated an energetic response and much misinformation. I’ve attempted many times to explain the situation, but it’s apparently hard to comprehend. Maybe casting the information in the form of a quiz will make it easier.
1. What was the original cost estimate for the bridge?
A. $729 million
B. $350 million
C. $2.1 billion
D. $175 million
Answer: The state estimated in 1998, before negotiating a deal with
builder United Infrastructure, the cost would be $350 million.
2. What did bridge construction wind up costing?
A. $729 million
B. $1.5 billion
C. $400 million
D. $1 billion
Answer: The construction cost was $729 million.
3. When will the bridge be paid off?
A. It was funded by state taxes.
B. It was paid off years ago.
C. 2030
D. Never
Answer: The bridge will be paid off and all other obligations
satisfied by July 1, 2030.
4. What will be the total cost, including interest?
A. $729 million
B. $1.5 billion
C. $1 billion
D. $3.2 billion
Answer: The final payout will be $1.5 billion. That includes $684
million in bonds plus interest.
5. What happens after the bridge gets paid off?
A. Tolls will remain to pay for other state projects.
B. Tolls will be reduced to the amount needed to operate and
maintain the bridge.
C. Tolls must legally be removed.
D. Tolls will remain to help pay for basic education.
Answer: Tolls must legally be removed. State taxes will pay for
maintenance, like on the old bridge.
6. How often are toll rates increased?
A. Every July 1
B. Every couple months
C. When tolls start to fall short of paying for bonds, maintenance
and operations
D. When state officials want a pay raise
Answer: Toll rates are raised when necessary to keep up with bond
payments that increase each year.
7. How many times have toll rates been raised since the bridge
opened in July 2007?
A. Eight (annually)
B. Twice
C. Twelve
D. Five
Answer: Five times, from $1.75 the first year for transponders to
$2.75 the next four years to $4, $4.25, $4.50 and $5 each for a
year. The toll plan in 2002 foresaw tolls of $3 the first two
years, $4 for three years, $5 for three years and $6 beginning this
year for the remaining 15 years.
8. How much would a full-time commuter with a Good To Go pass
pay a year at the current rate?
A. $3,000
B. $4,500
C. $850
D. 1,300
Answer: Assuming 260 weekdays in a year, the annual cost would be
$1,300.
9. What percent of tolls goes to pay the bonds?
A. 85 percent
B. 15 percent
C. 100 percent
D. 45 percent
Answer: In fiscal year 2014, $54 million of the $64.1 million in
tolls — 85 percent — went toward debt service.
10. What else can tolls pay for?
1. State mega-projects
2. Pierce County road maintenance
3. Ferry operations
4. Bridge maintenance and operation
Answer: Only for maintenance and operation of the new bridge
11. An advisory election was held in 1998 whether people
believed a toll bridge should be built. What areas were
included?
A. Kitsap Peninsula only
B. Kitsap and Pierce counties
C. Kitsap, Pierce Clallam, Jefferson, Thurston, Mason and King
counties.
D. The entire state
Answer: All of Kitsap, Clallam, Jefferson and Thurston counties,
most of Pierce and portions of Mason and King
12. What was the result of the advisory vote?
A. 53 percent approval
B. 95 percent approval
C. 19 percent approval
D. 33 percent approval
Answer: Transportation Secretary Sid Morrison interpreted a narrow
53 percent margin as a public approval to use corporate bonds to
finance a new bridge. Eighty-three percent of Gig Harbor/South
Kitsap voters were against it.
13. How has bridge traffic been since the new bridge went
in?
A. Flat
B. Better than expected
C. Worse than expected
D. Nobody keeps track
Answer: Traffic has grown year to year, but not to the level
expected. Forecasters in 2002 projected 2015 traffic to be 17
million, then dropped it to 16.4 million in a 2005 forecast. Actual
2015 traffic was 14.4 million. Fewer transactions contribute to
more frequent toll increases.
14. Has the new bridge improved traffic congestion?
A. Not enough to warrant the tolls
B. It’s so much better that I don’t mind the tolls.
C. You can’t tell the difference except during commute times.
D. I’d rather wait in traffic.
Answer: It would often take an hour to travel from Interstate 5 to
the bridge between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. Now it takes 6 to 7 minutes,
according to DOT. It used to take 40 minutes to go from Rosedale
Street to the bridge from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. Now it takes 7 to 8
minutes to motor all the way from Highway 302.
15. Where can you find financial and traffic information?
A. You need a security clearance.
B. Online at the Tacoma Narrows Bridge tolling page
C. It’s on the Internet someplace but hard to find.
D. The information is not available to public.
Answer: On the Tacoma Narrows Bridge tolling
page
The petition is directed at the state Department of
Transportation and Transportation Commission, which can’t freeze or
eliminate tolls. Toll revenue would have to be replaced by other
funds to pay for the bridge, and only the Legislature can do that.
It had a chance with passage in June of a $16.1 billion
transportation revenue package, but help for Narrows toll-payers
wasn’t included.
Local legislators and the citizen advisory committee have worked to
keep bridge costs at a minimum. Most recently, Sen. Jan Angel,
R-Port Orchard, led an effort to defer payment of $57.6 million in
sales taxes on construction costs until the rest of the bridge is
paid off. Tolls would be collected an extra six to eight months,
but rates would be less.
Despite what many might believe, there’s no good way to freeze or
remove the tolls.
“There isn’t any other means to pay that bridge off that I know
of,” Angel said. “That’s why I tried to do naming rights. That’s
why the last session I got all the sales tax diverted to the very
end. There is no fix that I can even see out there. We might be
able to do some minuscule things here and there, but those tolls
pay for the bridge.”
Facts just get in the way of a good rant.
Gotta love inflation. I know I read somewhere that the west bound bridge was paid off in just a few years. Nothing but greed with the new bridge.
Just a bunch of greedy bastards. They could’ve built it for a a couple hundred thousand, I’m sure.
Couple hundred thousand lol. That doesn’t even cover the paint job. Haha. The permit and approval process cost more than a couple hundred thousand.
LOL Fred. I don’t really mind paying for the bridge but do mind the what appears to be continuing SNAFU’s and fiascos by WSDOT and the contractor. Seems nobody gets fired and the citizens just keep taking the hit. The latest “don’t call us” statement regarding their jacked up tolling error issues is beyond reasonable.
Agreed. And who approved that method of financing that bridge anyway? Everyone I know voted against the bridge because how the tolling system was not clearly defined. And look at what we have now. A pay by mail process that doesn’t follow through and because of their incompetence we get charged penalties and fees.
We don’t pay state income tax – which we should. Quit being a bunch of crybabies.
You’re welcome to send a check for whatever you think you want to Olympia. Don’t ask us to pay for your sense of self-loathing.
This was very informative, thank you. I can now see the whole picture and can only hope it doesn’t go above $6. I truly don’t mind the fees, I think we all forget how bad the commute was with the old bridge. It was horrible! What scares me more than a bridge fee is a fee for every mile you drive, that would be a major hit too our economy.
It’s a shame. This petition was meant to reflect the rage and confusion of the people and open the door to discuss alternatives. If you use the bus you can buy a day or month long pass, but if you cross the bridge 3 times a day you still have to shell out $3900 a year.
“Fewer transactions contribute to more frequent toll increases.”
Right. Build a bridge we don’t want, raise tolls till some of us can’t afford to go across the bridge, and then blame us for not going across the bridge and make it our fault the tolls go up. *rolls eyes*
Does anyone here really believe the tolls will be $6 for the next 15 years? Seems to me I heard that about the ferries rates, too, back in 2001. The largest increase ever and then 5% for the next 5 years, was it? Fifteen years later, the ferry rates have more than doubled for walk-on passengers since 2001 and the rates for driving onto the ferry are obscene.
If anyone thinks the bridge tolls won’t do the same, I have a bridge to sell you.
I, for one, am thankful for the bridge.
The Narrows bridge construction was a necessity. I did not enjoy the travel time to cross before the new bridge was constructed. The only item that rankles me is that the estimated cost is always at least 50% less than actual- $350M vs. $729M, but it did come in on schedule. So beware of any transportation package estimates by the state. Tolls are just one way of paying for the bridges we need. The other is save and then build- what a concept.
Moved out here from MA in 1965. Saw the tolls come off the Narrows, Warren Ave, Manette and Hood Canal bridges and was totally flabbergasted! You would never see a toll stopped on anything in MA, ever! Once people are used to paying them they only go up.
Who is the moron who wrote this? It’s actually 771 million in bonds and interest. 106%. Sounds ridiculous. Who is in charge for financing and agreeing to these terms? They should all be imprisoned
Talk about idiots.
I will gladly pay the toll. Most days the traffic was backed up to Olympic onramp or farther around 7am. The new bridge has cut my commute time down substantially. Since the new bridge I can’t even remember seeing an accident. I dreaded commuting to Gig Harbor when there was an accident on the old bridge, back ups for hours. Sometimes the bridge lanes were closed, meaning even longer wait times.
Understand the need for the toll to pay for the bridge, but make it reasonable for people. ..HALF that…
I don’t commute over the bridge but I sure got caught in hour plus traffic backups before it was built and at those times would have happily paid more than $6 to roll along unimpeded like we do today! Hate paying tolls but we’re better off and at least there’s and end on the horizon. Unlike the toll lanes on 405 that have the potential to spread like a cash eating bacteria. The precedent being set here should have us all very concerned.