Your May 13 article cites the toll lanes as a success based on a report by the Washington State Department of Transportation writer Kate Elliott.

The article claims the speeds in the general purpose lanes are better southbound from Interstate 5 to State Route 522, but acknowledges that northbound is worse especially between SR 522 and State Route 527.

However, a presentation by WSDOT engineers to the Interstate 405 Executive Advisory Group two weeks earlier show the southbound congestion is actually worse as well from I-5 to SR 522. In this illuminating case, where the only thing done was to convert the existing HOV lane to a toll lane, the congestion in the general purpose lanes has gotten worse.

The sections where the general purpose lane congestion has actually improved are south of SR 522 where $450 million of our fuel taxes were used to add another lane resulting in two toll lanes each way.

This, of course, provides some relief for the general purpose lanes as the more affluent drivers switch to the toll lanes. What does this misguided political experiment tell us — you can’t toll your way out of congestion but contrary to the popular mantra, you can build your way out.

William Popp

Bellevue