The Eastside Corridor is the only way to go north and south on a freeway in the Puget Sound that isn’t I-5. It covers Snohomish, King, and Pierce Counties, encompassing parts of I-405 SR 167 and SR 512.

The Washington State DOT has been looking at ways to deal with increases in population and employment along the Eastside corridor, increases that would obviously add more traffic to the roads. The new Eastside Corridor vision includes new highway lanes, improved interchanges, express toll lanes, expanded transit service and vanpool programs.

One of the options they’re focusing on right now are the express toll lanes, a two-lane system built alongside existing no toll, all purpose lanes of I-405, connecting with the high occupancy lanes of SR 167. This would create “an expressway within a highway” from Puyallup all the way up to Lynnwood. You can read about on their Tolling Survey page which includes maps, photos and all kinds of useful information, as well as the DOT’s rationale for proposing this particular plan.

They are seeking more input from the public–you know, the people who actually pay for and use these roads–and to that end they are holding two open houses to discuss the tolling study. The first open house is tonight, November 3, from 4:00 to 7:00 at Kent Meridian High School’s cafeteria (10020 SE 256th St, Kent). A second open house takes place Thursday, November 5 in Kirkland at the Kirkland City Hall Peter Kirk Room (123 – 5th Ave, Kirkland).