Several steps can reduce bridge tolls, ferry fees

by Sen. Derek Kilmer

When I arrived in Olympia more than two years ago, one of the sage veterans of the state House approached me. He put his arm around me and said, “So, you’re from the 26th District. Are you for or against the new Narrows bridge?”

I smiled at him and professed, “Well … it’s about half built.”

I added, “My job is to work to get my constituents the best possible deal.”

Many residents of Kitsap County don’t have a lot of choice when it comes to their daily commutes. Crossing the Tacoma Narrows Bridge or getting on a ferry is a part of their daily life. The least the state can do is give them a break.

There are a number of ways this can be done, and I’ve proposed a package of bills that addresses each one.

Exempt the Narrows bridge project from the sales tax on construction.

Senate Bill 5681 would keep bridge users from having to foot the bill for the sales tax on the construction of the bridge. The prospect that bridge commuters would pay a toll to pay a tax fails the basic fairness test – particularly on a project paid almost entirely by tolls. Should this bill pass and be signed into law, it would shave off roughly $40 million to $60 million from the cost of the bridge for toll payers.

Fines for skipping the toll should help pay for the bridge.

By now, many folks in our community have heard about the “Good to Go” pass. This transponder technology will provide a great opportunity for commuters to get through the bridge quickly without stopping at a toll booth. When drivers go through the “transponder-only” lane but don’t have a “Good to Go” pass on their windshield, they will pay a fine.

Unfortunately, under current law, none of the money generated from those violations would go to the Narrows Bridge Tolling Account. That would change if we pass Senate Bill 5391. This bill would direct a portion of the fine (equal to three times the amount of the toll) to the Narrows Bridge Tolling Account. Over time, this bill could generate an additional $15 million to $20 million for the tolling account. That’s off the overall cost that will need to be paid in tolls by regular, law-abiding commuters.

Commuters shouldn’t pay full tolls for partial lanes.

When we left Olympia last year, the Legislature had appropriated $1.3 million for this year and budgeted another $8.7 million for this biennium to enable a discount for Narrows Bridge users during the first year the bridge is open. I fought hard to get that money in the budget, and, this fall, I joined my Kitsap and Pierce County colleagues in asking Gov. Chris Gregoire to keep that $10 million in the budget. I’m grateful that she delivered.

Now it’s the Legislature’s turn. Beginning this summer, bridge users will face a toll even while retrofitting work is undertaken on the existing Narrows Bridge for nearly a year. For much of that time, the bridge will be closed or at limited capacity.

It fails the test of basic fairness for bridge commuters to pay a full toll for a project that doesn’t deliver a full benefit. Indeed, during this period commuters will very likely face a commute that’s even worse than it is now.

Providing this money is a win-win proposition. Not only will the $10 million bring a modicum of relief, it can provide an incentive for people to get transponders and keep traffic flowing.

The Department of Transportation estimates that 50 percent to 60 percent of bridge commuters will need to use a “Good to Go” pass to see a reduction in congestion. Moreover, research from other states indicates that transponders can dramatically reduce the costs of toll collection.

What’s the best way to encourage the use of a transponder?

• Give folks a discount.
• Give ferry commuters a fairer deal.

Bridge commuters aren’t the only ones trying to get across or around Puget Sound. Ferry commuters make a comparable trek, and they deserve a break, too, in coping with the rising cost of commuting and the congestion on our roads and bridges.

I want to lower costs for ferry commuters in two ways: Increase the state’s contribution to ferry operations, and provide more support for passenger-only ferries.

Ferry commuters have seen fares rise by more than 60 percent in the past five years. The state must step up its contribution to the ferry system. Senate Bill 5680 would nearly double the amount of the state fuel tax distribution to the Puget Sound Ferry Operations Account, raising the percentage of return from 0.54 percent to 1 percent per gallon. This money would subsidize the state’s cost of running our ferries, thereby reducing the corresponding fares paid by commuters.

Last year, the Legislature provided some startup funding for passenger-only ferry operations. Senate Bill 5862 would provide additional support, directing some of the funding generated from the sales tax on fuel used by our ferries into an account that supports passenger-only ferries.

None of these proposals would eliminate the need for tolls or ferry fares. But each can make them easier to bear. And for those who use the Narrows Bridge or ferries on a regular basis, small savings here and there will add up to a big difference over the long haul.

Sen. Derek Kilmer, D-Gig Harbor, is vice chairman of the Senate Economic Development, Trade & Management Committee and a member of the Senate Transportation Committee. He represents the 26th District, which includes Port Orchard, Gig Harbor, Key Peninsula and parts of Bremerton.

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