Chris Sullivan prepares us for viaduct closure – Week 2
May 6, 2016, 6:43 AM
If you’ve escaped the Alaskan Way Viaduct traffic unscathed, congrats. Drivers have one more week of this, but fortunately, Chris Sullivan has a few tips.
• Leave later in the morning if you’re taking the West Seattle Bridge.
• Expect long delays on I-5, especially northbound into the city in the morning.
• You’re not alone if Fourth and First Avenues are your alternates.
• I-405 has been tough as north-south drivers use this freeway as an alternate.
• Your best bet? Take a last-minute vacation… or “staycation.”
Check the current traffic conditions here.
Related: Seattle tunnel progress a major contrast to past problems
According to the data gurus at Kirkland’s INRIX, Seattle-area commuters are actually taking on the viaduct closure rather well. INRIX has sifted through its own traffic data and points out that drivers appear to have planned ahead or are altering their travel habits. This could mean taking alternative routes or simply hopping on a bus or water taxi.
The information falls in line with what INRIX predicted would happen before the Alaskan Way Viaduct closed for Bertha to tunnel underneath it.
INRIX notes:
• Average travel times on I-5 northbound and southbound have only increased slightly — about only 5 minutes.
• I-5 is filling up earlier than normal during the morning commute. Whereas it once got busy at around 7 a.m., it has been getting busy at 6 a.m.
• The West Seattle Bridge is experiencing an addition of about 5 minutes to travel times. Morning drive times on the bridge are generally worse than in the evening.
• SR 520 has so far been spared from congestion that can be linked to the viaduct closure. Travel times and normal congestion is similar than before the closure.
• Westbound I-90 initially experienced some more significant slow downs, beyond the usual congestion. That amounts to about 3-5 minutes. But INRIX notes that travel times have been getting closer to normal as the days go on.
