SEATTLE — Morning traffic in the Puget Sound region is already challenging for many drivers, and transportation experts say the return to school is expected to bring even more congestion in the coming months.
Traffic on the Ship Canal Bridge has become a familiar sight during the Revive I-5 construction project. Add school buses and parents driving children to school, and commuters can expect heavier traffic during the morning rush.
Construction, growing traffic volumes, and more people traveling into the region are all contributing to congestion on area roadways.
Drivers say the backups have become part of their daily routine.
“During the daytime, it can be a mess,” Rich McJimpson said.
Another driver, Sam Kuria, said he avoids the worst of the traffic by adjusting his schedule.
“I don’t get stuck nowadays because I have to wake up too early to do it, but everybody who’s working from 7 or 8 a.m., there is a problem,” Kuria said.
Transportation analyst Bob Pishue with INRIX says traffic patterns typically worsen as students return to school, and families settle back into regular routines.
“We do expect, based off of last year’s trends, for traffic to start building as we kind of get into a normal commute routine,” Pishue said.
According to INRIX data last year, some of the largest increases in travel times occurred on routes crossing Lake Washington.
“One of the largest percentage increases were crossing the bridge. So, I-90 heading westbound in the morning saw about a 60% increase in travel times,” Pishue said.
He added that drivers on both I-5 and I-405 experienced travel time increases of about 10% to 20%.
As some commuters try to avoid freeway congestion, alternate routes are also expected to see more traffic. That includes State Route 99 and the West Seattle Bridge.
Pishue says drivers should also expect the timing of congestion to change.
Traffic experts recommend leaving earlier and planning ahead as back-to-school traffic increases across the region.