Extra lane could alleviate I-5 Convention Center traffic headache
Apr 9, 2015, 6:54 AM | Updated: 7:51 am
The Washington State Convention Center addition is going to bring new dollars to Seattle, but also put pressure on resources downtown. (WSDOT)
(WSDOT)
There could be an improvement for one of the worst chokepoints in the state. WSDOT wants to add a lane to I-5 under the Convention Center.
“It’s a small lane, about 1,000 to 1,500 feet to take drivers underneath and through that chokepoint under the Convention Center,” said Travis Phelps with the Washington State Department of Transportation. “It’s an HOV-only lane.”
It would stretch from where the Seneca exit-only lane ends and where the University Street on-ramp enters the freeway. Drivers would still be able to exit at Seneca or get into the Express Lanes, but there will be a third lane going under the Convention Center.
“We’ll shrink down the lanes through there,” Phelps explained. “Instead of 12 feet, we’ll have 11 foot lanes. We’ll reposition and knock out some barrier and reinforce the shoulder and turn that section into an HOV lane.”
Phelps called it a creative way to use the extra shoulder space there to help out drivers.
“It’s not going to eliminate this chokepoint,” he said. “You can’t really build your way out of congestion, but it’s going to give some relief to folks who choose to carpool through this area. We’re making it a little less bad, a little less painful for folks driving through here.”
The state is about 60 percent finished with the design work on the project. It received about $2.4 million in federal grant money to study and design this fix. But WSDOT said it needs another $24 million from the Legislature.
“How do we solve a problem with the least amount of money possible?” Phelps asked. “I think we have a solution that if we can get some funding, we can actually do some good.”
