- Good To Go!
Good To Go! is the
electronic toll collection system used by theWashington State Department of Transportation on all current and future toll projects in the state of Washington. Good To Go! customers prepay their tolls into an account, the tolls are then electronically deducted as the customer passes through an electronic toll collection location. The system debuted in July 2007 on the newTacoma Narrows Bridge and is a part of the HOThigh-occupancy toll lanes on State Route 167, opened in the spring of 2008. The Good To Go! system is similar to other electronic toll technology already in place around the country such asFasTrak in California andE-ZPass in the eastern United States.Fares
When creating an account with Good to Go!, in addition to an initial $30 fee, either windshield mounted transponders ($12) or license plate mounted transponders ($30) must be installed. Currently the only major tolls with Good to Go! in use are on the Tacoma Narrows Bridge and SR 167. When using the bridge with Good To Go!, the passenger car toll is $2.75; if paying with cash/credit card, the toll is $4.00. SR 167 tolls are variable and must by paid by Good To Go!
Operations
The entire operation of the Good To Go! system, including in-lane readers, eGo transponders, call centers, back-office customer service and violation processing, is presently contracted to
TransCore . WSDOT contracted with TransCore for construction of the system, and presently pays Transcore on both a recurring and a per-transaction basis for the continuing operation of the system. [http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/NR/rdonlyres/3334CA07-151D-4071-B7B1-6790C8CAE4F2/0/MergedPacketStatewideTollsFullPacket22508.pdf]Toll collection systems currently in Washington
Tacoma Narrows Bridge tolls
The toll collection system in place for the Tacoma Narrows Bridge has standard toll booth collection lanes as well as three electronic toll lanes that allow for tolls to be deducted from a prepaid account at reduced cost. One of these lanes is for High Occupancy Vehicles only and vehicles in this lane must have a Good To Go! account when crossing the toll plaza through the electronic toll lanes.
Every car that travels through the Good To Go! electronic toll lanes is autonomously photographed. If a vehicle passes through the electronic toll lanes without a transponder or Good To Go! account, three times the toll amount plus a $40 violation will be charged to the registered owner of the vehicle via the license plate information per the
Washington State Department of Licensing . In the case of a malfunctioning transponder for a Good To Go! account holder, the toll charge will be posted to the account associated with that license plate number.SR 167 HOT (High Occupancy Toll) Lanes
This four-year pilot project on SR 167 is testing a new congestion management tool in Washington, allowing solo drivers to pay an electronic toll for use of the carpool lanes, without having to stop.
Toll rates fluctuate with the level of congestion to ensure that traffic in the HOT lane flows at least 45 mph, even when the regular lanes are congested.
The project launched in May 2008. A single HOT lane in each direction runs along nine miles of State Route 167 between Renton and Auburn in
King County . Carpools of two people or more, transit, vanpools and motorcycles may still use the HOT as a regular HOV lane free of the HOT toll. If vehicles with the Good to Go Pass have two or more occupants, the pass must be covered up by a shield or their account will be deducted for the toll.External links
* [http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/operations/tolling/ Washington State Tolling Home]
* [http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/GoodToGo/ "Good To Go!" Home]
* [http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/projects/sr16narrowsbridge/ Tacoma Narrows Bridge Home]
* [http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/SR167/HOTLanes/ HOT Lanes Home]
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