Major I-5 bottleneck makes list of top 20 worst in the country
Nov 24, 2015, 10:05 AM | Updated: 11:56 am
The American Highway Users Alliance reports 1.6 million hours of total delay can be blamed on the freeway between Madison Street and exit 168A. (American Highway Users Alliance)
(American Highway Users Alliance)
A 1.6-mile stretch of I-5 can be blamed for drivers being stuck in their cars and millions of dollars lost.
The American Highway Users Alliance reports 1.6 million hours of total delays can be blamed on the freeway between Madison Street and exit 168A.
“The I-5 corridor through downtown Seattle is the major bottleneck in this city,” the report states.
Related: Express toll lanes slowing weekend traffic on I-405
The Alliance reports the number of curves and reduced visibility, combined with on- and off-ramps, contribute to the awful congestion.
A report by the Washington State Department of Transportation identifies a similar stretch of I-5 as a congestion zone.
Sound bad? It is, according to the Alliance. The section of roadway is ranked as the 17th worse bottleneck in the country.
A stretch of I-90 in Chicago, Ill. takes the cake for the worst bottleneck in the country.
Not surprisingly, connections to and from Mercer Street are smack-dab in the middle of the section of I-5 in question. It’s the same local street that former secretary for WSDOT Doug MacDonald said was contributing to congestion, despite the City of Seattle’s improvements.
However, KIRO Radio traffic reporter Chris Sullivan is surprised the stretch of I-5 made it so high on the list. He said I-405 between Renton and Bellevue, and I-5 through Joint Base Lewis-McChord, are just as bad, if not worse.
