Emily Glad, WSDOT Toll Division communications 206-455-1176

Timing gives SR 99 drivers time to prepare and get a free Good To Go! pass

SEATTLE – Drivers using the State Route 99 tunnel will begin paying tolls on Saturday, Nov. 9, 2019, the Washington State Department of Transportation announced today.

State law requires that toll revenues from the SR 99 tunnel be used to 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.

“While the SR 99 tunnel has been a great success, we expect traffic patterns in Seattle will shift when tolling starts,” said Patty Rubstello, WSDOT assistant secretary of Urban Mobility and Access. “We are giving as much advanced notice as possible to allow drivers plenty of time to get ready, which includes opening up a Good To Go! account.”

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.