Is shoulder driving the solution to I-405’s north-end congestion?

Driving on the shoulder is the state’s latest idea to fix the congestion on I-405 between Bothell and Lynnwood.

The state admits that the new toll lanes have created a big chokepoint north of Highway 522, where I-405 changes from five lanes to three.

The short-term solution, because the project to add a lane on that stretch of I-405 has not been funded and is likely years away, is to allow driving on the shoulder.

Related: State admits I-405 toll lanes have worsened north end traffic

Tolling director Patty Rubstello says this is in reaction to the congestion being seen today.

“This was not something that we had &#8211 from a contingency standpoint &#8211 had planned out,” she said.

The shoulder would only be open during the afternoon commute and only in the northbound direction.

“It would be during the p.m. peak periods … when traffic gets to a certain level in the general purpose lanes, the shoulder would open up to general traffic to help reduce traffic out there.”

There would be no barriers. There would only be signs saying whether the shoulder is open or closed.

During peak hours, however, there would be no shoulder to move a crash into.

Rubstello says the Legislature still has to fund this idea and give it the OK because some of the shoulder needs to be hardened to handle traffic. Plus there are environmental hurdles.

“It’s not an easy fix … but we think it’s doable in the near term,” she said. “It wouldn’t take a decade of analysis.”

Here’s the hiccup in this: The shoulder driving wouldn’t start until north of the Canyon Park area. There would be no shoulder driving where I-405 bogs down between Bothell and Canyon Park. Shoulder driving wouldn’t work with the existing on- and off-ramps.

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