MYNORTHWEST NEWS

Beyonce, Jay Z to draw 40K fans during rush hour commute

Jul 30, 2014, 8:03 AM | Updated: 8:33 am

Of the 40,000 fans expected to attend Wednesday night’s concert at Safeco Field, the Seattle ...

Of the 40,000 fans expected to attend Wednesday night's concert at Safeco Field, the Seattle Department of Transportation expects at least half of them will be driving in from outside Seattle. (AP Photo/File)

(AP Photo/File)

Check the latest traffic conditions

Beyonce and Jay Z arrive in Seattle Wednesday and so will 40,000 of their fans.

The concert starts at 8 p.m. and at least half of the ticket holders bound for Safeco Field are expected to drive in from outside of the city.

“With traffic volumes this high during rush hour, we do expect to see congestion and delays,” says Seattle Department of Transportation’s communications director Richard Sheridan.

“If you can leave Seattle early, that’s a good idea,” says KIRO Radio traffic reporter Kimi Kline. “Things will probably get really bad after 5 p.m.”

Kimi says she expects to see both floating bridges backed up in the afternoon.

If you’re headed to the concert, Kimi suggests parking and riding the light rail to get to Safeco Field. You won’t be late to the show if you manage to stay out of the traffic.

According to Sheridan, SDOT is working with the Washington State Department of Transportation to create additional message board signs designed to better help people unfamiliar with the Seattle area.

SDOT believes the event will be comparable to the Paul McCartney concert at Safeco in 2013, which produced high traffic volumes and disruptions during the evening commute.

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Beyonce, Jay Z to draw 40K fans during rush hour commute