The Washington State Department of Transportation announced Wednesday that the long-awaited tolling of the State Route 520 bridge will begin at 5 a.m. Dec. 29.

WSDOT is urging travelers to get ready by setting up a Good To Go! transponder account.

“Tolling is helping Washington move forward with critical transportation investments and will finance ongoing and future work to replace the vulnerable SR 520 floating bridge and corridor ,” said Washington Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond. “SR 520 toll revenue will provide $1 billion to fund pontoon construction in Grays Harbor, and floating bridge construction and improvements on the Eastside, which already are under way. Starting tolling before the new bridge is built is keeping financing costs down.”

Toll costs will vary by time of day, with peak hours between 7 and 9 a.m. and 3 to 6 p.m. having the highest rate at $3.50 for anyone with a Good to Go transponder. Those without transponders will receive bills in the mail for the toll amount, plus a $1.50 charge.

The toll system’s components have been tested and retested since summer to ensure they can collect data at highway speeds and create transactions for the more than 100,000 vehicles that cross the bridge daily. WSDOT spokeswoman Patty Michaud said the system has been tested not only for the ability to read plates, but also to do some in Washington’s often adverse weather condition. WSDOT also brought in national tolling experts to review the system, and expanded its customer service support.

However, even though the Good To Go! call center has activated more than 120,000 new accounts since February, WSDOT Toll Division Director Craig Stone expects there will flood of requests into customer service as many drivers have yet to set up their accounts.

“We know from our Tacoma Narrows Bridge experience that we can expect long lines and wait times as customers rush to set up their Good To Go! accounts,” said Stone. “We’re taking steps to prepare for this surge to get as many people on board as soon as possible. Even so, we’re asking people to be patient.”

To prepare for the anticipated high volumes of customers registering and activating accounts this month, WSDOT has extended call center hours and hired extra customer service staff. Customers can purchase the popular sticker passes at Costco, Safeway, Fred Meyer and QFC and activate them online. WSDOT offers five different types of transponders, which vary in price and usage.

Passes will not work unless they are registered on an active account. Drivers should also check their accounts for up-to-date credit card and license plate information.

How to get ready

• Get your pass, install and activate it before tolling starts

• Make sure all account information is up to date, including credit card or bank information

• Make sure license plate(s) are correctly listed on your account

• Where to get a pass and open an account:

Tolling on SR 520 is expected to raise $1 billion overall toward the $4.65 billion SR 520 bridge replacement and HOV program, which builds 12.8 miles of safety and mobility improvements from Interstate 5 in Seattle to SR 202 in Redmond. The existing SR 520 floating bridge opened to traffic in 1963, and is vulnerable to sinking during a severe storm after weathering decades of wind and waves. The new bridge will better withstand storms and move more people across the lake with a new transit/HOV lane for buses and carpools in each direction. The target date to open the new bridge to traffic is December 2014.