Bill's in the mail for 520, Tacoma bridge tolls

People who have been tardy about paying their tolls for crossing the State Route 520 and Tacoma Narrows bridges will be mailed civil penalty notices this week.

State transportation officials say the mailings to the registered owners of vehicles are part of a new enforcement program to help collect overdue bills.

The notices will include an initial toll amount, a $5 reprocessing fee for each reminder bill plus an added $40 civil penalty for each unpaid toll transaction. Those registered vehicle owners will have up to 20 days to respond to WSDOT with payment or to dispute the civil penalty.

The 520 tolls are expected to raise about $1 billion toward the $4.7 billion cost of replacing the 49-year-old bridge. Tolling on the Tacoma span also goes toward the debt on bonds used to finance construction of the bridge.