Surviving the coming Labor Day weekend traffic
Sep 1, 2016, 6:02 AM | Updated: Sep 2, 2016, 7:05 am
Seattle traffic (AP)
(AP)
The Labor Day weekend traffic began ramping up Thursday night and it could be a very long drive if you’re headed out.
The best advice on this Labor Day weekend is to leave really early in the morning or leave late in the day, if you are going to be traveling during the most common driving times.
You can expect southbound I-5 between Tacoma and Olympia to be a mess from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on either side of the weekend. This goes for I-90 and Highway 2 as well.
Expect delays at the ferry docks. Some routes are already sold out of reservations.
Because a lot of school districts don’t start until Wednesday, consider leaving Saturday and coming back Tuesday.
There are plenty of events that will be adding extra traffic to the Puget Sound region around Labor Day.
There’s a lot of buzz over the Huskies’ home opener Saturday morning. If you haven’t used the new 520 Bridge to get to Husky Stadium, there are some notable changes in the westbound direction — the off-ramp at Montlake looks a lot different than it did last year.
“People will have a couple different choices,” Steve Peer with the Washington Department of Transportation said. “Most people will use the off-ramp that goes directly to Montlake, but you will have the option to peel off to the left, go over to East Lake Washington Boulevard and through the neighborhoods.”
There is also a new signal at the end of the ramp. You can no longer take a free right turn onto northbound Montlake toward the stadium.
And there’s more than football this weekend.
Don’t forget about Bumbershoot at Seattle Center all weekend. PAX is at the Convention Center. And the Mariners are in town.
Most statewide construction projects take this weekend off, but lane restrictions on I-90 across the Vantage Bridge will remain in effect.
On the positive side, the I-405 express toll lanes will be open to all from 7 p.m. Friday through 5 a.m. on Tuesday.
Send Chris a traffic tip at @KIRORadioTraffic on Twitter or email him.
