HIGHWAY 99 TUNNEL: Next closure date set. Plus: Should tolls be higher while World Cup is here?

Two Highway 99 tunnel notes tonight:

NEXT CLOSURE DATE SET: Friday night into Saturday morning, the tunnel will close both ways for maintenance and repair work. From WSDOT’s announcement:

Washington State Department of Transportation maintenance crews will start closing northbound and southbound lanes at 8:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 5, with the tunnel fully closed by 10 p.m. People going south on SR 99 will need to take the Harrison Street off-ramp, while northbound SR 99 travelers must exit at Alaskan Way. The Sixth Avenue and Royal Brougham Way on-ramps also will close at 9 p.m.

Crews will perform several important tasks during the closure, including:

-Testing fire suppression systems
-Cleaning and marking drains
-Fixing lights

HIGHER TOLLS DURING WORLD CUP? Tolls for the tunnel and other state roads/bridges, as well as ferries, are set by the state Transportation Commission, and the Legislature told the commission to consider temporarily increasing tunnel tolls during this summer’s FIFA World Cup soccer games in Seattle. After a discussion in October (here’s the slide deck with details), they now have to decide whether to formally consider it. So this is part of an agenda item about tunnel toll revenue at the commission’s next meeting, one week from today. You can see the agenda here (with a link for feedback); it includes links for how to participate. The agenda item is set for 3:30 pm on Tuesday (December 9).

1994 December 2, 2025 (9:46 pm)

Agenda Item: A financial update on the performance of the SR 99 tunnel will be presented, and the Commission will consider potential temporary toll rate adjustments during World Cup in Summer 2026.Not fair to locals! sounds like a money grab from locals! The 509 toll is already a rip off to travel just over 1 mile!

Send Feedback Use Link December 2, 2025 (10:33 pm)

Use the link found in the ‘see the agenda link here’ to send a loud NO to the transportation commission about raising tolls during the World Cup! Why should locals who already pay tolls to go to work, school, appointments etc have to pay higher tolls at that time? The State will be making more money because of increased traffic volume without a toll increase on our ferries, tunnels, bridges, and hwys. No need to increase tolls on our backs.

Erik December 2, 2025 (10:52 pm)

Great. Another cash grab…

anonyme December 3, 2025 (7:22 am)

Sure, as long as the profits reaped from the WC are then shared with taxpayers. Dream on. The vast majority of Seattleites will not benefit at all from this event, so why should they have to pay for it?

Confused December 3, 2025 (8:22 am)

So not only are the majority of the locals priced out of attending the World Cup matches, now they want to increase the cost for locals to go through the tunnel? Most of the visitors wont be going through the tunnel, they will be using uber, metro or e-bikes, I just hope no one gets in their mind to raise those rates during the World Cup… Nothing but greed here.

Steven December 3, 2025 (9:17 am)

It’s all greed and will the tolls ever go back down? No way, I won’t be fooled again
Neighbor December 3, 2025 (8:14 pm)

I’m posting this reply from an Uber in the tunnel.

ltmmgm December 3, 2025 (8:28 am)

“Should tolls be higher while World Cup is here” ….sure why not…us citizens of Seattle we have lots of money to just pick off that infamous tree what’s a few pennies more?! 😡

JB December 3, 2025 (8:52 am)

Do it for non-Good To Go people and you’ll cover the ‘tourist tax’ that most cities have. It’s still a bit unfair, but wouldn’t punish regular commuters and locals.

Kathy December 3, 2025 (11:29 am)

Finally a sensible comment.
Platypus December 3, 2025 (11:42 am)

Great idea. We want to discourage them from driving and to use buses/Link as much as possible. Restricting it to Good-To-Go accomplishes that
- IDC9 December 8, 2025 (8:25 am)
  
  This times 1,000. Anything to keep traffic congestion under control during this major event.
IDC9 December 8, 2025 (8:24 am)

If tolls must go up during the World Cup, this is the way to do it. Keep the prices the same for locals, most of whom use Good To Go, and raise them for tourists, most of whom don’t use Good To Go.

lucy December 3, 2025 (9:03 am)

Wow, another regressive tax. Most visitors will NOT be renting cars and driving through the tunnel. So, who pays? Locals do.

k December 3, 2025 (9:09 am)

Please do raise prices during the world cup. And, yes, the point is to get locals to pay more because the whole state paid to build it but it’s only locals who use it. Thank Spokane for building your tunnel and pay your fair share. You can go around the tunnel if you don’t like the cost.

Carole December 3, 2025 (9:45 am)

Okay, then. Thank you Spokane.
wscommuter December 3, 2025 (9:47 am)

Actually, Spokane (and the rest of the state outside of the King/Pierce/Snoho counties) did not “pay for the tunnel’ as you suggest. Tax revenue from the gas tax is disproportionately paid out to the rest of the state (nothing unfair there – most people live in these three counties, so we pay more tax due to population density). In truth, in terms of transportation dollars spent, Spokane and all of eastern Washington is subsidized by King, Pierce and Snoho.
bill December 3, 2025 (10:20 am)

Poor tax-saddled Spokane! Actually, no taxpayers in King, Thurston, and Pierce counties care about your whining. Those three counties fund the entire rest of the state. EVERY OTHER county is a net recipient of state funding. Secede to Idaho, if they will have you.

Canton December 3, 2025 (11:17 pm)

How about the next time we use the tunnel, we throw all the change from the console cup, out the window… They can rake it out during the wee hours, and they will aquire extra voluntary toll money?…

DC December 4, 2025 (9:01 am)

Sounds like a great idea. The World Cup will be an excellent time to try out public transit and higher tolls help incentives that. The H Line has 24/7 bus only lanes from Alaska all the way through downtown. A great way to skip the traffic.

Canton December 6, 2025 (9:51 am)

A great example of no need for a 8-9 billion dollar choo choo train…
- IDC9 December 8, 2025 (8:26 am)
  
  I take it you’re referring to the light rail?

Sorry, comment time is over.