Traffic, traffic, traffic…it’s been a heck of a week traffic-wise in our region. Been quite grateful for the reverse commute, let me tell you. Anyway, here’s some good info to make your travelling less woeful.
Snohomish County Highway and construction Updates
Rain fouls up roadwork
Not only has the rain made commute times awful this past week, it’s also making it extremely difficult to complete a lot of the roadwork we had hoped to do. That includes reopening the ramp from eastbound SR 522 to eastbound US 2 in Monroe. Contractor crews closed the ramp in early September so they could finish work on the 179th Avenue Bridge. That work included everything from waterproofing the bridge deck to finishing the paving on and around it. We were prepared to wrap up the paving over the past week and a half. And then the skies opened up. And it rained, and rained and rained some more.
We don’t have a date for reopening the ramp at this point. We apologize for this delay and know it’s inconvenient, but drivers can still access US 2 by simply continuing straight on SR 522. Thank you again for your patience.
Video explains efforts to restore I-5 Skagit River Bridge
How did the I-5 Skagit River Bridge get repaired and traffic get restored so quickly? Hardworking crews put together temporary, then permanent spans in a matter of a few months. Supporting their efforts took a lot of cooperation from local, state and federal officials. The Federal Highway Administration put together an interesting video that talks about the response and what went into restoring I-5.
Major I-5 Seattle closure Friday night
If your plans Friday night include a trip into south Seattle, head’s up: A Seattle City Light project will close both directions of I-5 near Boeing Field, with lanes starting to close at 9 p.m. All lanes will reopen by 6 a.m. Saturday. Expect congestion as people move through the detours.
Speaking of Seattle, you’ll want to prepare for heavy traffic Saturday as a huge crowd will watch the Sounders claim the Supporter’s Shield with a win over the Los Angeles Galaxy at noon at CenturyLink Field. Also, the Husky football team will scorch Arizona State at 7:45 p.m. Saturday at Husky Stadium, so expect significant congestion in the Montlake area.
Light reading for transportation wonks
If you’ve been looking for some light reading to pass the time on these wet and windy fall nights, you’re in luck. We recently published our annual Corridor Capacity Report. I don’t want to give away too much of the story (especially the surprise ending!), but it’s full of traffic trends, stats and figures. Some pretty interesting stuff in there.
Winter is coming
Winter isn’t just coming to Westeros, it’s also coming to our beautiful part of the country. Are you ready? It’s never too early to start preparing so read up on our tips for getting you and your car in shape so you aren’t caught out in the cold.
