State Auditor claims that WSDOT may not collect $60M in unpaid tolls

The new audit claims that Washington State Department of Transportation is missing out of tens of millions in revenue.

According to the Washington State Auditor’s Office’s audit, the DOT tolling system "lacks key functions."

The state is unlikely to actually collect nearly 60 million dollars in money that it's owed from unpaid tolls. Click here for a the auditor's full report. 

Here are the recommendations from the auditor’s office to the secretary of transportation.

• Require the Assistant Secretary Toll Division develop a long-term business strategy and plan to support and improve current operations as well as the next-generation toll system.
• Address the leadership and management weaknesses identified in this report
• Address the current limitations and operational challenges in the toll collection system

Washington’s statewide, all-electronic, toll collection system began its operations in 2011. Now, tolls are collected at four facilities in Washington: the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, the State Route (SR) 167 High Occupancy Toll Lanes, the SR 520 Bridge and the Interstate 405 Express Toll Lanes.

The auditor’s office says it’s crucial that WSDOT and its Toll Division continue to evaluate and improve the management of the tolling program

The DOT disagrees with the report's conclusions on toll collections – saying it collects 94 percent of tolls up front – and 98 percent when they go through collections – a standard that makes Washington "among the nation's best performers."

Cox Media Group