Traffic Volume Before and After Construction

The WSDOT estimates that 180,000 vehicles per day will cross the I-5 bridge every day in 2030. These numbers show that after spending $1 billion for Light Rail that the vast majority of I-5 traffic will still be vehicles driving across the bridge, not Light Rail. Those driven vehicles, unlike Light Rail, include multiple passenger vehicles and trucks carrying freight.

Notice that their graph shows that nearly all of their scenarios, except the No Tolls scenario move less traffic than the No Build solution. They reveal that they think that this project is a success if they move about the same or less traffic than the No Build solution. They do this by discouraging drivers with tolls that abridge their freedom to travel. They make the cost highest during rush hour when drivers don’t have a choice and must drive to and from work. These tolls add one more burden to some drivers that are struggling to make ends meet.

The chart also shows that I-5 tolls will increase the congestion across the 205 bridge. To fix that problem, they propose to add tolls to the 205 to discourage people from also driving across that bridge. We grant our new masters a monopoly to strangle our economy by reducing the blood flow through our two jugular veins and divide our currently united communities.

Next: Compare to the Tacoma Narrows Bridge