We're posting live updates during the fourth commuting day since the Alaskan Way Viaduct was shut down. Seattle Times journalists are reporting from various sites around the region.
What you need to know:
- Seattle is experiencing the longest highway closure in city history. The Alaskan Way Viaduct closed permanently on Friday night, and the new Highway 99 tunnel isn’t expected to open until the week of Feb. 4.
- With 90,000 daily vehicle trips and 30,000 bus riders detoured, expect a ripple effect on traffic even beyond the Seattle city limits. Here are resources to help you navigate the congestion.
- Traffic has been manageable so far, but transportation officials warn that longer delays could be in store. We have live updates for you below.
Thursday, 6:55 p.m. — Evening commute tests patience
The Thursday evening commute proved more unpleasant than earlier in the week with heavy traffic in South Lake Union, Sodo and on the West Seattle Bridge. Throughout the region, travel times were mostly normal with delays largely limited to 15 minutes or less.
As they did Wednesday evening, transportation officials warn that rain could worsen commute times Friday. The weekend will also bring traffic restrictions due to several events including the Womxn’s March on Saturday and the Martin Luther King Jr. Day Rally and March on Monday.
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This concludes our updates from Thursday evening’s rush hour. Tell us about your commutes this week by sending an email to trafficlab@seattletimes.com or by leaving us a voicemail at 206-464-2003.
Thursday, 6:30 p.m. — Crash in Burien involving Metro bus
A pickup truck and Metro bus hit a power pole at South 128th Street and State Route 509 in Burien, authorities say.
Injuries from the crash appear minor and power is out in the immediate area, according to Burien police.
The King County Sheriff’s Office said 128th Street will be closed for several hours,
Thursday, 6:10 p.m. — “Yikes”
Congestion is still widespread in Seattle with heavy traffic persisting on Interstate 5 through the city, eastbound Mercer Street between Dexter Avenue and I-5, southbound First Avenue South in Sodo and eastbound on the West Seattle Bridge to I-5.
“Yikes,” the Seattle Department of Transportation wrote on Twitter, asking commuters to change their commute time or form of transportation.
Thursday, 5:50 p.m. — Where to expect delays
Expect the following trips to take about 10 minutes longer than usual: Federal Way to Seattle, Federal Way to Tacoma, Bellevue to Everett, Bellevue to Lynnwood, Renton to Seattle, SeaTac to Seattle, Southcenter to Alderwood on Interstate 405.
In Eastlake, a crash at Harvard Avenue East and East Hamlin Street is partially blocking the ramp to Interstate 5.
Thursday, 5:40 p.m. — In congested South Lake Union, the streetcar is moving
Thursday, 5:30 p.m. — Congestion in downtown Seattle
Tonight’s commute is demanding more patience than those earlier in the week. Expect traffic congestion throughout downtown Seattle, including backups on Mercer Street and Interstate 5 through the city.
Thursday, 5 p.m. — Collision on southbound I-5 near Federal Way
A warning for those traveling near Federal Way: A collision is blocking two left lanes and the HOV lane on southbound Interstate 5 at State Route 18. The crash is causing about a 3-mile backup.
Travel time from Federal Way to Tacoma is 39 minutes, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation.
Thursday, 4:50 p.m. — Train blocks traffic but gets moving again quickly
A train stopped on the tracks at South Holgate Street between First and Fourth Avenues South during the Thursday afternoon commute, threatening to cause a traffic backup. But the train quickly began moving again, according to the Seattle Department of Transportation.
Wednesday morning, a train blocked traffic for half an hour. BNSF Railway said the stoppage happened because a dispatcher held the train in place to let several Sounder commuter trains pass. During the so-called Seattle Squeeze, BNSF said it plans to do more overnight work to reduce effects on traffic. In a post Thursday afternoon, SDOT said it would be regularly talking to BNSF “to see if there are any unexpected issues that come up.”
Thursday, 4:25 p.m. — Expect traffic in the usual hotspots: Mercer, West Seattle Bridge
As the afternoon commute heats up, Seattle traffic is heavy on Interstate 5 through the city, eastbound Mercer between Dexter Avenue and I-5, southbound First Avenue South in Sodo and eastbound on the West Seattle Bridge to I-5, according to the Seattle Department of Transportation.
Thursday, 4:10 p.m. — Delays under 15 minutes
Regional travel times are holding steady with delays of 15 minutes or less.
Trips from Federal Way to Tacoma are still delayed, but improved from earlier. Trips from Bellevue to Everett, Woodinville to Seattle and SeaTac to Seattle will each take about 10 minutes longer than average.
Thursday, 3:20 p.m. — Afternoon commute begins with I-5 delays
Most travel times are pretty normal at the start of the afternoon commute, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation.
However, drivers taking Interstate 5 should expect some delays. Travel times from Federal Way to Tacoma are currently more than double the average, and trips from Lynnwood to Seattle are taking about 10 minutes longer than usual.
A collision on southbound I-5 near State Route 520 is blocking two lanes. An incident response team is on the scene.
Thursday, 10 a.m. — Another smooth morning
This concludes our updates from Thursday morning’s rush hour. Rain is forecast to move in this afternoon, so plan for a wet commute.
Thursday, 9 a.m. — Scenes from Kent Station
The last peak Sounder train left Kent Station with one quarter of its seats still available at 8:20 a.m.
The trains have more capacity than parking garages that fill by 6:30 – a half hour earlier than usual, says daily rider Angelique McConaghy. She slept in and waited until 7:55 to arrive at the 715 stall James Street lot a half mile west.
She says the long walk to the station helps her deal with multiple sclerosis. “Too much inactivity makes the symptoms flare up,” she said.
An extra hour of sleep is a great tradeoff for the 10 minute walk, which is just enough to tire her by days end. Her trip includes the 20 minute drive from Covington, as well as a transfer at King Street Station to light rail and a quarter mile downtown walk near Pike Place Market.
Kent was promised a second Sound park and ride garage in Sound Transit’s 2008 tax vote and the project is still planned despite costs near $100,000 per stall, such is the mandate for nearby parking.
But McConaghy says the half mile walk is a lesser inconvenience than delays or breakdowns on the trackway – including the hour she sat at King Street last year while police pursued a man hiding between railcars in South Seattle.
– Mike Lindblom
Thursday, 8:15 a.m. — Travel times holding steady
Commute times to and from Seattle are all a few minutes longer than average, but no significant delays have been reported, according to the state Department of Transportation.
BNSF Railway says rail traffic is moving normally this morning, compared with Wednesday morning, when a stalled train blocked Spokane Street for more than 30 minutes. One reader said her commute into Seattle, which normally takes 20 minutes, was two hours because her Route 121 bus was boxed in between cars.
On Capitol Hill, crews have cleared a collision that was blocking traffic at Melrose Avenue and Olive Way.
Thursday, 7:45 a.m. — Scenes from a water taxi
On board the 7:05 a.m. King County Water Taxi from West Seattle, passengers waited in a short line before entering in about a half-full boat.
Taxis carried riders from Seacrest dock every 15 minutes, and commuters said crowds were smaller than earlier in the week.
“I like it. I’ve got personal space. It’s an enjoyable experience,” said Courtney Turnbull, a graphic designer who works on Capitol Hill.
Turnbull, who moved to West Seattle from Philadelphia in July, said her employer gave workers a higher allowance to spend on transportation in January during the Alaskan Way Viaduct and Highway 99 tunnel closure. She used to ride the route C bus line but is considering commuting by water taxi even after the tunnel opens.
Camille Steen, an instructor at Seattle Pacific University who sat across from Turnbull, agreed.
“It’s really fun. And the tunnel scares me,” she said. “What happens if there is a wreck?”
Steen said she’s been walking to work from the ferry dock but might adjust if she starts to get wet feet in the rain.
Not everyone was in a cheery mood. A human traffic jam formed as two taxis let out next to each other.
Thursday, 7:30 a.m. — Collision blocking traffic on Capitol Hill
A collision at Olive Way and Melrose Avenue on Capitol Hill is blocking northbound and westbound lanes. The blockage could cause traffic issues for commuters trying to use the Interstate 5 on-ramp.
Thursday, 7:20 a.m. — Stop-and-go traffic on West Seattle Bridge
Traffic is again thicker and earlier on the West Seattle Bridge. A drive at 6:40 a.m. took 17 minutes from Nucor Steel on Southwest Andover Street to southbound I-5 in stop-and-go traffic most of the way.
Drivers in the left lane will sit much longer to reach northbound I-5 into Sodo. The I-5 northbound corridor is jammed all along Beacon Hill.
Police are enforcing the temporary bus-only lane on the far right side that approaches Fourth Avenue South.
Airport Way South in Georgetown is clogged all the way back to Boeing Field from drivers abandoning I-5 en route to downtown Seattle or Sodo.
— Mike Lindblom
Thursday, 6:50 a.m. — Longer commutes, but not much rain
Commute times to Seattle are a few minutes longer than usual, with moderate traffic on Interstate 5 in both directions. The drive from the West Seattle Junction to downtown Seattle is about 30 minutes.
The morning commute should avoid the heaviest rain; the National Weather Service forecasts showers moving in this afternoon. Rain is expected to blanket the region through at least Sunday night, and possibly through Monday and Tuesday.
Thursday, 6:30 a.m. — I-5 lanes open in Tacoma
All lanes of I-5 in Tacoma have reopened, but traffic is heavy, according to Washington State Patrol spokeswoman Johnna Batiste.
Thursday, 5:46 a.m. — Heavy traffic in Tacoma
If you’re driving near Tacoma, prepare for a longer commute. Both directions of I-5 near Highway 16 are closed while crews clean up fuel from an earlier truck crash.
Thursday, 5:30 a.m. — Day 4 of the Seattle Squeeze
We’re posting live updates during the fourth commuting day since the Alaskan Way Viaduct was permanently closed. Seattle Times journalists will provide coverage from various sites in the city.
We’re compiling experiences from commuters as they move throughout Seattle. Share the story of your commute today by sending an email to trafficlab@seattletimes.com, or by leaving us a voicemail at 206-464-2003. (But please don’t call or write while you’re driving. Washington law forbids almost all use of handheld devices while behind the wheel. Wait until you reach your destination.)