State senator proposes bill to eliminate toll for drivers using Tacoma Narrows Bridge

It’s something that crosses Hannah Nicholson’s mind as soon as she heads to Tacoma from Gig Harbor.

“Every time I pass over the bridge I think, they must be making so much money,” she said.

Considering a Good to Go pass holder pays $5.25 every time they head east on the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, she said the expenses adds up.

“For people who are crossing every day or taking my sister to bowling across the bridge, it adds up a lot,” Nicholson said.

Since 2007 when the bridge opened up, people have been paying a toll to pay for the construction.

“The bridge is an incredibly important connection,” said State Senator Emily Randall, a democrat from Bremerton.

A roughly $1.4 billion project, Randall said commuters have only paid about $700 million so far.

“The Tacoma Narrows Bridge continues to be the only projects that’s entirely financed by users,” Randall said.

So, she is introducing a bill to take about $772 million from the general fund, to go toward paying off the rest of the bridge, which would get rid of the toll.

“It seemed like the time to introduce this idea and we’re certainly not going to get it if we don’t ask for it,” Randall said.

She said the bill would direct the treasurer to make the transfer to pay off the debt for the bridge, allocating funds from the operating budget to the transportation budget.

“So this would be sharing the burden more equitably,” Randall said. “Our community deserved a fix and we found a way where I think we can do it.”

But for Gig Harbor residents, like Liz Merrit, she’s a little hesitant to be fully endorsing a bill like this.

“I’m a little concerned about where you’re going to get the funds from,” she said. “I’d like to know a little bit more about it.”

She does say, however, that not needing to pay a toll sounds appealing.

“Every dollar back in my pocketbook’s not going to hurt,” Merrit said.

The legislative session begins Jan. 10.

If this bill were to fail, it’s estimated that it will take another 8-9 years before the bridge is fully paid off.