SEATTLE — A new report is confirming what commuters around the sound already suspected – that with the start of Revive I-5, congestion is getting worse… a lot worse.
“This work on the ship canal bridge is affecting commuters all over the region,” said Bob Pishue, a transportation analyst with INRIX, the Bellevue-based analytics company that released the report.
According to the report, two of the most notable impacts are slower traffic speeds and a much longer morning commute window for both I-5 and I-405.
“From Everett into Seattle, speeds are about 18% slower, which is a good chunk, but what we’re really seeing are the deeper delays happening sooner and ending later – the peak period has started around six in the morning going into the ten hour,” said Pishue.
Pishue says the study also reveals a surprise – with the evening commute remaining relatively stable.
“The northbound commute heading out of Seattle hasn’t been as bad as what we would have expected, considering the work being done on the Ship Canal Bridge is heading in the northbound direction,” said Pishue.
WSDOT spokesperson Tom Pearce says, despite a rough first week with the project, traffic is starting to balance out.
“We are seeing some improvements in travel times. They’re still going to be long, and we still need people to be patient and understand that we’ve got to look out for the entire system,” said Pearce.
Click here to read the traffic report from INRIX.