Why do some HOV lanes operate 24 hours a day and others do not?
In 2002, the State Transportation Commission directed WSDOT to implement an evaluation of all Puget Sound HOV lanes in order to determine if they could be operated any more efficiently. One of the results of this evaluation was to open HOV lanes to all traffic on freeways east of Lake Washington between the hours of 7 pm and 5 am. This change in operating hours took place in 2003. More information on this evaluation is available on our Eastside HOV Hours of Operation page. When HOV lanes are open to all traffic, they should be treated like a regular left-side freeway lane. Left-side freeway lanes are normally reserved for passing.
