Highway 520 tolls: Traffic down on morning commute

On the first day of the post-holiday commute, Washington transportation officials say traffic is down significantly on the 520 bridge.

They say about 37 percent fewer drivers than normal crossed the 520 bridge between 6 and 7 a.m. this morning.

Most used state-issued Good to Go stickers to pay their tolls.

Transportation spokeswoman Patty Michaud says the traffic numbers on the bridge are about what were expected when the state started charging to cross the bridge across Lake Washington between Seattle and its eastern suburbs.

The Seattle Times reports the morning commute didn't seem to cause significant backups on other routes from people avoiding the toll bridge.

Tolling on 520 is expected to raise $1 billion toward the $4.65 billion cost of replacing the existing bridge and making other improvements. The existing bridge opened in 1963.