OOIDA Information Update - Washington State Members
November 18, 2004

A public meeting to discuss a proposal to build a 100-mile truck-only toll road from Chehalis to Interstate 90, bypassing the congested Seattle area, is scheduled for Nov. 23 in Chehalis.

A study commissioned by the Washington Legislature, and strongly endorsed by state Sen. Dan Swecker, suggests the proposed "commerce corridor" might work.

As envisioned, the corridor would be three lanes wide - one in each direction and some type of passing lane - and for long-haul trucks only. A limited number of exits would be built.

The $500,000 draft study by the state Transportation Department suggested "further exploration" for a truck-only road along the stretch between I-90 and Chehalis, a section that has five times as much truck traffic as I-5 between Seattle and Canada.

If just half of the 22,000 trucks that roll down I-5 south from Seattle each day used the toll route - at 60 cents per mile, or $60 for a one-way run - its $5 billion price tag could be justified, the study suggests.

Swecker told The Olympian his first goal is to find another $500,000 to fund a study of the truck tollway specifically, so legislators would have a better idea of its scope and cost.

Building the road would require legislation to create a toll district of some kind to simplify the permit process for such a project, he said.

The second study could be completed within a year, and a concrete proposal ready by 2006, Swecker said.

The Nov. 23 public meeting is scheduled from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Lewis County Courthouse, 351 NW North Street, Chehalis, WA 98532.