KIRO NEWSRADIO OPINION

‘Weeks of billable work’: Jake differs with Spike on Seattle’s 10th-worst commute ranking

Dec 6, 2025, 5:01 AM

A recent report ranked Seattle’s I-90 and I-405 interchange as the 10th-worst commute in the country, with an average of 68 hours stuck sitting in traffic each year.

KIRO hosts Jake Skorheim and Spike O’Neill debated whether Seattle’s poor ranking was enough to gripe about, noting that the longer traffic delays may be a result of businesses succeeding.

“That doesn’t seem like a crazy amount to me,” Spike said on “The Jake and Spike Show” on KIRO Newsradio.

“That’s two work weeks, though. That’s a lot. Two weeks of billable work,” Jake responded.

Drivers spent nearly three extra days driving in Seattle’s metro area, which is 8% more than in 2024 and 19 hours more than the national average.

“Well, I say congratulations to Seattle. Business is great, people are moving here. It’s the price of success,” Spike said.

Watch the full discussion in the video above.

Listen to “The Jake and Spike Show” weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. on KIRO Newsradio 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.

KIRO Newsradio Opinion

e-scooter e-bike downtown seattle minneapolis lime takeover...

John Curley Show

‘The price of a burrito’: KIRO hosts say Seattle’s meager fine won’t stop Lime takeovers as another planned for Saturday

A third Lime scooter takeover is planned for Saturday night in Seattle, with hundreds of riders expected to meet near the Pioneer Square Pergola.

1 hour ago

Phoebe Gates...

John Curley Show

‘She’s the daughter of Bill Gates’: KIRO hosts say wealth and power are shielding Phoebe Gates from scrutiny

But what frustrated the KIRO fill-in hosts wasn't just Phoebe Gates' alleged fraud. It was how little attention it's getting.

6 hours ago

ask ursula divorce...

Ursula Reutin

Ask Ursula: Amid a combative divorce, how do I handle a friend who’s in love with me?

Dear Ursula, I'm 58 and in the middle of a contentious divorce from a narcissistic doctor who stripped me of nearly everything.

11 hours ago

national radio day...

Charlie Harger

Harger: A community college radio station gave me a career, a newsroom full of colleagues, and a wife

I talk for a living, on a medium that talks about itself constantly, and I found out about National Radio Day after the show ended yesterday.

13 hours ago

camera...

Jake Skorheim and Spike O'Neill Show

‘We kicked this can 7 more weeks down the unsafe city road’: Jake, Spike rip Mayor Wilson for delaying camera decision

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson resurfaced at a news conference, but her answers on surveillance cameras, left Jake and Spike unimpressed.

1 day ago

seattle mayor junk fees rent recall approval wilson...

Gee Scott and Ursula Reutin Show

‘You knew what you voted for’: Gee says don’t act shocked as Katie Wilson’s approval plunges amid recall effort

A new poll shows only one in three Seattle voters trust Mayor Wilson's safety plan as recall efforts intensify, and Gee Scott wonders why people are surprised.

1 day ago

‘Weeks of billable work’: Jake differs with Spike on Seattle’s 10th-worst commute ranking