Alternate routes to avoid when Seattle’s viaduct closes for 2 weeks
Apr 27, 2016, 5:26 AM | Updated: 2:32 pm
Areas in the blue will experience 50 percent longer trips, while areas in the red will experience 20 percent longer trips. (INRIX)
(INRIX)
Luckily for Seattle-area drivers, traffic data company INRIX has punched some numbers and found where the worst hit roads will be when the Alaskan Way Viaduct is closed for two weeks.
Related: WSDOT monitoring ground around Bertha while it tunnels under Seattle
According to INRIX’s lead scientist and traffic analyst, Greg Hallsworth, some roads will be more congested than others:
• North-south traffic on I-5 will take 50 percent longer as most of the 90,000 vehicles that normally travel the viaduct will move there.
• Neighboring routes will feel the impact of added congestion on I-5, including I-90 and SR 520 from the east; SR 522 and SR 523 from the northeast.
• Downtown Seattle should expect added congestion and some drivers will turn to local streets around the viaduct.
• The West Seattle Bridge will experience congestion, most affecting drivers from Genesee and North Delridge.
• Closer to the viaduct between South Spokane Street and the south end of the battery street tunnel, the normal 10 and 15-minute commutes will turn into 20- and 30-minute commutes.
• Routes closer into downtown will experience 50 percent longer trips. The area just beyond that reaching across the canal to the north, down to Boeing in the south, and part of West Seattle will experience 20 percent longer trips.
Areas in the blue will experience 50 percent longer trips, while areas in the red will experience 20 percent longer trips. (INRIX)
INRIX has one recommendation — long-distance drivers should use I-405 instead of going through Seattle during the closure as conditions there will likely be better. The company also notes that drivers have a tendency to get inventive when it comes to traffic congestion. Many may use alternate forms of transportation. Others may drive at different times than normal to get around peak times.
When it comes to data and traffic, Kirkland-based INRIX is no stranger. The company that monitors more than 275 million cars, smartphones, and sensors throughout 40 countries.
