Drivers heading over Snoqualmie Pass for the Thanksgiving holiday should prepare for heavy traffic and possible backups, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation.
WSDOT has released its annual Thanksgiving weekend travel charts, showing when each route is expected to be busiest.
The data is based on past Thanksgiving travel patterns and aims to help travelers decide the best times to hit the road.
Here are the routes:
- I-5 Lacey to Tacoma
- I-90 North Bend to Cle Elum
- US 2 between Skykomish and Stevens Pass
- I-5 at the U.S.-Canada border.
The charts track the number of vehicles on the highway by hour. Green periods indicate light traffic, yellow signals moderate congestion, and red means the road is at or near capacity. Once that happens, even small incidents can cause long delays, WSDOT said.
A black line on each chart represents typical weekend traffic, giving drivers a way to compare holiday travel conditions with a normal weekend.
WSDOT analysts used historical data from previous Thanksgiving weekends to make 2025 projections, estimating how many vehicles are expected each hour between Wednesday and Sunday.
Each of the four charts covers the state’s most heavily traveled routes during the holiday.
The department encouraged drivers to check the charts before leaving and allow extra time for trips, especially during peak travel hours.
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