With traffic expected to surge when the city hosts several matches, the Washington State Transportation Commission may temporarily hike tolls for the two-mile tunnel to defray additional costs associated with the international sporting event.

Earlier this week, commissioners heard that their staff are evaluating potential increases of 50 cents and $1 that would be imposed between June 1 and July 15, 2026, the period in which six World Cup contests are scheduled at Lumen Field. State lawmakers directed the commission to consider a temporary increase and use the money to cover added costs of managing traffic around the stadium and throughout the Puget Sound when fans flood the region in those six weeks.

Doing nothing is an option too, says Carl See, the commission deputy director. While commissioners need to keep in mind the impact of the influx of visitors, they also need to remember any increase “may have an impact on those who have no interest” in taking part in what will be a “monumental event” for the state, he says.

The Pacific Northwest will host 13 World Cup matches—six in Seattle and seven in Vancouver, B.C. Conversations have been under way for months on how to avert monumental backups at the U.S.–Canada border and assist fans moving between the host cities. About 750,000 people are expected to come to Washington state in the course of six weeks. In addition to matches, teams will be practicing at the University of Washington in Seattle and Gonzaga University in Spokane, with additional training locations and fan zones throughout the state.

State lawmakers earmarked roughly $24 million in the current transportation budget for World Cup-related expenses. Additional dollars were cribbed into the operating and capital budgets for security and field upgrades. With transportation, there’s $14 million for transit, including $5 million for expanding intercity bus service in the state, and another $8.25 million for operational improvements aimed at keeping people moving. There’s $2 million for maintenance in the vicinity of the tunnel. Those dollars will come out of the tunnel toll revenue account, and lawmakers assumed that sum could be covered from a temporary toll rate increase but didn’t mandate one.

Roughly 47,000 vehicles travel through the tunnel each day based on a July 2024 analysis. Tolls vary based on time of day, with higher rates in peak commute hours and lower rates on nights and weekends. They are collected in both directions as one exits the tunnel. Weekdays, the cost ranges from $1.25 to $1.85 per trip with a Good to Go pass. It is $1.25 on weekends. Drivers pay an extra 25 cents per trip with the Pay By Plate option, in which they register their license plate on a Good to Go account without a pass, and there is a $2 fee if paid by mail.

What will be studied are potential increases of 50 cents per trip and $1 per trip that would be imposed at all times, including on weekends. In December, staff will present the commission with projections of how much money might be generated from those assessments and how many drivers might choose to use local roads and Interstate 5 to avoid higher tolls.

See says he doesn’t want to “overpromise” what data will be delivered. If approved, this would be the first such temporary toll-rate hike, he says. Given the short six-week duration and uniqueness of the event, it will be hard to model for every possible factor with precision. If the commission decides to proceed with a one-time temporary toll rate increase, it would conduct a rate-setting process including gathering public input on potential rate options.

Washington State Standard is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and donors as a 501(c)(3) public charity. Washington State Standard maintains editorial independence.

The post Toll Talk: World Cup Could Bring Higher Tunnel Rates appeared first on Seattle magazine.

The Washington State Transportation Commission recently approved fare hikes of 3% on Oct. 1 and another 3% on May 1, 2026. It’s also raising the summer season surcharge to 35% on all routes next year and, on a trial basis, extending the life of multi-ride passes to 120 days starting next May. Those passes now expire after 90 days.

“It is never a fun job to raise rates,” says Commissioner Debbie Young. The final product, she says, is the best they could devise “to keep the impact minimized on the regular rider who feels it most.” Also, commissioners acted to require operators of public and private bus services, as well as vanpool and public rideshare services, to pay tolls on the State Route 520 floating bridge and the Tacoma Narrows Bridge starting Oct. 1.

Commissioners repealed a longstanding exemption for those transit services. A new law signed by Gov. Bob Ferguson earlier this year called for it. School buses will continue to be exempt.

Under the state transportation budget, Washington State Ferries must generate $408.8 million from fares in the next two years to help cover operating costs. Officials estimated the fare hike will bring in $412.3 million. The increase comes on top of a 50-cent bump to the vessel replacement surcharge, which will be $1 per ticket starting Oct. 1.

Washington State Ferries is also adding a new 3% fee on credit card transactions beginning March 1. Ferry officials estimate the vessel surcharge hike will net $23.9 million and the credit card fee another $7.4 million in the 2025-27 budget cycle. But those dollars cannot be applied toward the fare revenue requirement, says Aaron Halbert, a financial analyst for the commission.

Fares differ by route, vehicle size, number of passengers, and time of year. A surcharge is assessed on the base fare of a single vehicle between May 1 through Sept. 30, which is the peak season for ridership. Under the new rates, the standard passenger fare on the Mukilteo-Clinton route will climb 70 cents in October and an another 15 cents in May. For a standard-sized vehicle, the cost will go up 85 cents this October and another 30 cents next May.

On the Seattle-Bremerton route, the passenger fare will rise by 80 cents in October and 30 cents next May. For standard vehicles, the increases are $1.05 this fall and 55 cents in May. These amounts include the 50-cent increase in the vessel replacement levy but not the peak season surcharge or the credit card fee, both of which take effect next year. The summer surcharge will climb by 10% to the new level of 35% for all routes, except San Juan routes, which already have a 35% peak season levy.

Even with the fare changes, 2.3 million more people are expected to travel on a ferry in this budget cycle compared to the last one — a 6% increase in ridership. One reason is that domestic service is fully restored for the first time since 2019, Halbert says Another is the governor’s decision to delay hybrid-electric conversions of the largest ferries in the fleet to keep vessels in service.

But ridership is still way below pre-pandemic levels. Roughly 20 million people will travel on a ferry this year compared to 24.7 million in 2018 and 23.9 million in 2019.

Tom Thiersch, chair of the Ferry Advisory Committee on Tariffs, says the committee agrees with the final proposal. He’s also  frustrated that the state continues to demand ferry riders cover a much larger share of the system’s operating costs than users of other public transit services. Continually increasing fares, he says, is “making ferry travel unaffordable for many people “ and is not sustainable.

Washington State Standard is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Washington State Standard maintains editorial independence.

The post All Aboard the Price Hike appeared first on Seattle magazine.