They are adding a Toll/HOV lane to 405 in the Seattle area. There will now be two HOV lanes and both will be converted to tolls for solo drivers. I couldn't wade through the article to see the conclusion. But I'm not exactly buying into it helping. Right now there are 3 free lanes, and one HOV lane. During rush hour the HOV lane is under utilized. So adding a second lane means only toll users will make use of the new lanes (i am sure HOV use will increase, but not by much, as it could increase today) So some people will chose to pay the toll, if traffic is bad. If it isn't, they won't as there isn't much benefit. The question is, is the cost of adding the second lane worth it? I would think that making the second lane free would be more beneficial, to the environment, and to the travel time. And how long will it take them to recoup the cost of adding the second lane? I'm not against making the single HOV lane also a toll lane, I just don't see how adding a second one is a win.