Traveling for Memorial Day weekend? WSDOT says leave early or stay late
If you're driving anywhere in Washington state this weekend, you might want to take a look at the state's predicted travel times for some of the more popular roads.
Washington State Department of Transportation analyzed traffic from last year's Memorial Day weekend traffic, noting the busiest days and times on Interstate 5, Interstate 90 and U.S. 2.
Here's what to know and how to find the best travel time for the route you'll be taking. You can always look at the real-time traffic map, too.
According to WSDOT, there will be heavy traffic both northbound and southbound on I-5 between Lacey and Tacoma all weekend. In fact, heavy traffic is expected to start before the weekend and continue through Tuesday.
On Friday, moderate to heavy northbound traffic will likely begin by 5 a.m. and become congested between 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. That congestion will ease slightly throughout the weekend, but the freeway will become busy again before dawn at 5 a.m. on Tuesday morning and continue until 5 p.m..
Southbound traffic over the weekend will be similar, with heaviest traffic on Friday and Saturday, and a spike in congestion by 6 a.m. on Tuesday that will continue until about 5 p.m.
If you're going to be driving on I-90 between North Bend and Cle Elum this weekend, you'll have both traffic and construction to contend with.
Going eastbound, the busiest days by far will be Friday and Saturday, especially between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. on Friday. The route will stay busy until about 3 p.m. on Saturday, and then Sunday through Tuesday should see relatively normal traffic.
Westbound traffic on I-90 this weekend should remain fairly typical, until a surge of vehicles head over the mountains on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. On Monday, there will be almost double the normal amount of traffic, especially between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m.
Drivers on U.S. 2 between Stevens Pass and Skykomish should have fairly smooth traffic, although a couple of days will be busier than usual.
Eastbound traffic on Friday will be heaviest, especially between the hours of 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. On Saturday, there will be a spike between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Westbound traffic will be almost normal, except for a busy bump in the early evening on Saturday around 5 p.m., and another busy window on Sunday between 11 a.m. and 8 p.m.
Monday will be a different story, though. Between 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., westbound drivers will see traffic that's almost three times higher than normal.
For travelers who plan to leave town and the country over the weekend, I-5 between Bellingham and the Canadian border is expected to be hectic.
WSDOT projects that traffic on I-5 between Bellingham and the Canadian border will be congested between the hours of 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Friday, peaking in the late afternoon. The heavier-than-usual traffic will continue Saturday through Sunday afternoon when WSDOT's projections show less traffic than normal.
Southbound traffic is expected to be around average on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, although Monday will see much heavier traffic than usual, as Washingtonians make their way back from weekend trips in Canada. The road will be congested from 10 a.m. through the 4 p.m. hour, according to WSDOT and then again at 6 p.m.
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