WSDOT uses roadway tolling as a way to manage demand on I-405, SR 167, SR 99, and SR 520 and to fund megaprojects. While tolls are true “user fees,” they can be a significant expense to roadway users, and therefore they raise serious equity concerns. Work for the WSDOT’s Tolling Division by the UW Data Science for Social Good program provided insight into the equity of the tolling program on I-405’s Express Toll lanes. However, little is known about the equity impacts of WSDOT’s other facilities. This project will provide additional insight into the equity of WSDOT’s various toll facilities. The project will help WSDOT better understand current use of its toll facilities, and it will examine how the combination of household income and tolling fees affect the use of state roadways. Researchers will also provide insight into how costs and benefits associated with toll facilities are distributed and will provide a baseline of use against which changes in economic or policy conditions can be measured.
Principal Investigator: Mark E. Hallenbeck, Washington State Transportation Center, UW
Sponsor: WSDOT
WSDOT Technical Monitor: Tyler Patterson
WSDOT Project Manager: Doug Brodin
Scheduled completion: July 2023