More people need to carpool, bike, ect. anyway -- hopefully this will get new people to try it, and get them in the habit of taking alternative transportation ...

People are not going to use mass transit, it's just the way our society is. Too many people have varied work schedules and days off, live in outlying areas where bus service at given hours of the morning or late evening does not exist for those with early am or swing, or graveyard work shifts. The " crunch " on I-5 should be a good argument to keep and replace the Viaduct. Without it the traffic would be at a standstill, so for all of you in favor of tearing down the Viaduct for a better waterfront view, move onto a houseboat, and remember this 3 week ordeal and think what it could be without an existing Viaduct structure. We'll all get through this mess, either by personal vehicle or public transportation.

If public transportation ran more frequently, went to places where people live, and didn't travel on the same blocked roads, it would be a viable alternative.

We will get through this... but it will be a pain in the but. This from an avid carpooler.

Too many of the common one-person-per-car commuters are under the impression that "someone else will do it"--that is change their habits for the next few weeks. To me, this whole fiasco just shows how much people really need to start depending on public transportation.

Many buses coming from outside Seattle aren't full. And the coverage is fairly decent. People complain that the buses aren't frequent enough and don't go to the right places, but there has to be the demand for them to do that first. When buses start to actually fill, the system will have no choice but to fix itself.

I ride the bus at least 4 days per week to work overnight downtown, and while it currently adds a bit of time to my commute, the payoffs are not having to deal with bad traffic, being able to sit back and relax, get caught up on reading (or podcasts), and not have to worry about being too tired to drive safely.

In addition, many employers subsidize or completely pay for bus passes, as my employer provides me with a FlexPass free of charge. Check with larger companies--they often offer the same thing!

If you want anything to be safe, you need to keep up its maintenance. I don't have any issues with that.

I do have 2 comments:

1. It truly is not feasible for some people in certain areas to take public transportation- I wish it was a better system!
2. Who is responsible for planning the TIMING of these projects? This is the biggest tourist season of the year!! 2 other areas of Seattle have had major road projects during their biggest weekend events this year.
Not Brilliant....

Someone help me out here. We pay some of the highest taxes in the country. We have some of the most expensive, high taxed real estate in the country. Every time I turn around someone taxes me. Why are our roads so pathetic? We don’t move traffic like other states. Where does all the money go? I will always say no to more taxes; politicians need to figure out how to make the money leave have work. Maybe they should all take a pay cut until it’s fixed.

Someone help me out here. We pay some of the highest taxes in the country. We have some of the most expensive, high taxed real estate in the country. Every time I turn around someone taxes me. Why are our roads so pathetic? We don’t move traffic like other states. Where does all the money go? I will always say no to more taxes; politicians need to figure out how to make the money they have work. Maybe they should all take a pay cut until it’s fixed.

WA.State has the worst transportation dept. ever! They are working from 4 AM to Midnight. WHY, WHY, WHY aren't they working from Midnight to 4 AM??? That would add 4 hours during the least busy time of the commute hours, and if they wanted to skip 4 hours, why not be off duty during either the morning or the afternoon rush hour commute instead? Or, if they can't do that, at least USE the 4 hours to get this job done quicker! This is insanity, and further demonstrates the irresponsible way that our state government has used our tax dollars.
Nevada has the quickest road construction time. They work in the middle of the night, and not during the daytime hours. WA. State govt. has been proven to take FIVE times longer to complete any road project than if it were hired out to the private sector.

They aren't working from 4am to midnight. The WSDOT is saying traffic will be heaviest from 4am to midnight. Construction is happening 24 hours a day for the next 19 days. Workers will be putting in 12 hour shifts - 2 shifts per day.

If the roads need to be maintained we have to deal with it. I has to be done SOMETIME.

David,

A few clarifications here. First, Kathleen is correct, our contractor is working 24/7 for 19 straight days. They have brought in crews from California to speed up the process. Second, Nevada has a quick construction time because they don't have lousy construction weather nine months every year. No one can pour concrete when it's raining and cold. Additionally, they don't have the environmental constraints like multiple lakes, rivers and Puget Sound. Thirdly, this project is being done by a private contractor, Concrete Barrier Incorporated out of Mukilteo.
Jamie
WSDOT

Why do we not have a train to the airport like every big city??? A sky train like Vancouver BC is the ONLY way to go with getting around and avoiding traffic jams and accidents, snowy weather conditions. Don't even need a driver and they run on time frequently without a hitch. Wake up Seattle!!

My wife and I have been car pooling for 15 years, so with the I5 construction we caught the first Sounder out of Auburn it will be the last time we do that. There was standing room only at Auburn. We have decided to continue with our car pooling. At least we will be comfortable and able to visit. Whats up with this idea of catching the the Sounder?

This closure is largely a political trick to get people in Seattle upset enough to vote for RTID. Do your research! RTID is a very bad plan. It is an extremely innefective use of taxpayer funds that will saddle future generations with billions of dollars of debt. It is not a real solution to the congestion problems in our region.

Steve-
You don't get it? Sitting on our hands will get us no where. Another million people are moving to the region, we can't just let our bridges and roads get worse and less efficient.

There is a reason all the business groups in the region are backing the Roads & Transit package - because no one wins when workers and goods are stuck in traffic.

Jamie (from WSDOT),
Why was the road allowed to degrade to point that you needed to close most lanes over a three week period? Did the expansion joints all wear out at once, or have they needed replacement for several years, and the work delayed?

Pete-

You have presented us with two almost idiotic reasons to support RTID. Do you work for Sound Transit?

All the business groups in the region are backing RTID? That is not true. In fact it is an easily proven lie. It is a silly non-sensical "everyone else is doing it" non-argument that a teenager might come up with.

You are the one who doesn't get it. RTID is a bad package!

Unfortunately, our local governments have been sitting on their hands for the last thirty years. Then we get this farce of a program thrown in our faces. If RTID passes it will guarantee that the real issues will not be addressed for at least the next ten years.

Starting down the wrong path is much worse than coming up with a good plan to begin with.

I took the Water Taxi from West Seattle where I live. I didn't know that it existed prior to the I-5 closure. I used to drive to downtown every morning using 99 northbound to the Seneca street exit. Taking the Water Taxi was a very pleasant experience and a great way to greet the day. Should they decide to keep this Water Taxi running year round, I will give up driving to work all together. Good Day to all.

No complaints here. The bus ride in was great this morning. I actually got in earlier. BUT......

I don't think this is gonna change people's minds about riding the bus or train. Right now it's just to inconvienent for people to use these alternate methods. Not enough stops and not enough busses. I don't mind waiting 45 minutes after work for my bus. But for some people they could have been home already or have familes to get home to. So I can't blame them. I wish soundtransit would see this demographic and try and create something to assist them in riding the bus or train.

So it's kind of a catch 22 in some ways. I take the bus to eliminate my poluting eco footprint, while some one else just take that step for me.

I am amazed at reading this blog: 1. Yes the first train was full by the time it hit Auburn, but there was another train 15 min behind it! 2. You can't expect public ransportation to drop you off at your door. It doesn't hurt to walk up the steps, and catch a bus and then walk a few blocks to work. Look at the east coast, they have done this for years.
3. Yes freeway was light today but Monday is a lighter commute day; wait until tomorrow and if you get off public transportation it will be more congested. But that is okay you just sit in traffic.
4. Yes we are behind in our rail but at least we have started.
5. In my opinion I think the DOT, Transit & Media did a great job, of getting word out; finding alternate areas to park if your usual lot was full and of course the most tedious part of all the timing, logistics etc. You just don't put a train on the tracks without coordination with several other departments. In the Northwest we have a small window to do a number of projects..Think about your own projects you put off to specific times of the year.
Good luck in your commute, I will enjoy a good book or a nap and less stressed. Thanks for the ride Sound Transit

As someone who takes the bus to work every day, I am continually amazed at the reasons people give for not using public transportation or a carpool. They seem to think that they are the only ones with busy lives, errands, appointments, and families and that it would be impossible to live without their single occupancy vehicle. There are very few places in the county that are out of range of Metro and nowhere near a park and ride. It takes patience and planning and the realization that it is not all about YOU. Think of your kids, your grandkids, and their grandkids. Think of the polar bears. Isn’t the health of the planet (you know, that place where your busybusy family expect to live the rest of your lives) worth the extra twenty minutes you’ll wait for a bus? How much do you spend on that gym membership and you can’t walk a few blocks to a bus stop? Stop patting yourself on the back because you recycle your pop cans and do something that will actually make a difference.

So what if the I-5 crunch didn't happen. The traffic light for the HOV lanes coming in from I-90 to downtown were so screwed up that it held up I-90 HOV traffic for at least a mile. We had to sit thru at least 4 light changes. Is this how you reward carpoolers and mass transit?

The timing for the traffic signal at the end of the I-90 HOV lane as it empties into the international district has changed. It took me 20 minutes to get off the freeway today. Why punish those of us who carpool or take the bus???

this whole thing is a joke. Look at the link I attached. I-5 goes down to two lanes going north through downtown anyway. What is the big difference.

I got to tell you however, what other cities the size of Seattle only have 2 lanes doing through downtown? King County's DOT is a joke. They keep spending money but do not fix any problems. We need more mass transit etc, but only two lanes+ Express lanes is not going to cut it. People like their cars, and if we do not fix the situation more businesses are going to leave the area like Boeing.

Don't get me started on the train deal. It is needed but we need it to where people live and work. Not to the airport. How many people go to the airport each day, compared to how many people go downtown?

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=seattle+wa&ie=UTF8&ll=47.603128,-122.326227&spn=0.001232,0.002511&t=k&z=19&iwloc=addr&om=1

Although WSDOT is claiming that "this is the biggest I-5 closure ever", that is not entirely correct. Those of you that lived here in the 80's remember that during the summer of 1984 (northbound) and 1985 (southbound), Both the Lakeview and Ship Canal Structures were closed to two lanes in each direction for over 2 months! (July-August), for expansion joint and deck repair, and a latex modified concrete overlay on both bridges. The crews did work 24 hours a day 7 days a week with a 10,000 per day incentive clause. Granted traffic volumes are much higher now than then, but 19 days is nothing compared to 2 months! "WSDOT - we stretch the truth 24-7"

1. I carpool with my husband every day. We adjusted our schedule to come in a half hour earlier to avoid the "rush", although today, Wednesday, was the worst through the construction zone.
2. I have used the train in the past, and found it very nice with the exception of late departures or slowdowns on the track. As I understand it, to go north of Seattle, you need to transfer trains? Why? As I also understand it, the train station in downtown is the only stop in Seattle. Why? If there were more stops, perhaps more people would ride. Adding a bus trip onto the train trip to go north in downtown(especially during nasty weather conditions)would be a deterent in my eyes.
3. Tax those folks that don't take public transportation, prefering the luxury of their own vehicle. Tax the companies that don't support public transportation. Don't tax those that due use public transportation or carpool.

I agree with David that no more taxes should be spent on this failed roadway system of ours. It's high time we come up with other transportation alternatives that are cheaper and much more efficient. Great suggestion!

At This point,I don't think this crunch will happen. I feel Seattlites may learn a lesson or two about our transportation system, traffic, and our options in repairing the real problem we still have, The everyday commute. Light rail? Repair to the viaduc? Take this time to really look at and experience the roads and transit system so maybe our tax dollars go to fixing some problems. I don't like paying people to have meetings.

Speaking as a commuter from the north end, driving solo from Mukilteo area (ie: Community Transit) to Redmond (Metro) every day can take 45mins to 2.5 hrs each way depending on all the usual reasons. However, buses are NOT an option for me. I mapped just about the only route(s) available via bus. The shortest and best route: I would have to drive to P&R, CT Express bus to downtown Seattle, transfer to Metro Express bus to Bellevue, transfer again onto Metro bus to Redmond Town Center. Depending on which of the very few Express buses I could take schedule-wise, it would take 2-3 hours EACH WAY!! (and that's on a good day when everything goes right!) And don't get me started on the light rail that we may never see in the north end, nor West East sides. Yeah. Right. Like there are any incentives there for me! (And I can't seem to find anyone to carpool with for my route, for my work hours.).

To Dejected-I don't know from where in Mukilteo you come but you actually could take the CT rt 441 from Edmonds P&R or Lynnwood TC to the Overlake Transit Center (NE 140 St/156 Ave NE)& transfer to the ST rt 545 in bay 2 that will take you to Redmond. You do NOT have to take a bus to downtown Seattle. Only thing is that the rt 441 has just two trips in the AM (06:30 & 06:58) from LTC but the rt 545 runs every 20-30 minutes. With planning you could leave LTC at 6:58, arriving OTC @ 07:45 transfer to the eastbound rt 545 @ 07:49 or 07:55 and be in Redmond :10 minutes later. Entire trip about 1 hr.

Traffic in the downtown area was an absolute nightmare yesterday. There should be a city ordinance prohibiting steroid-ball games letting out during rush hour-especially during periods of major construction like this.

It is time for some real solutions to Seattle traffic. I am blessed to live and work in Tacoma. When I took my current job, I moved into the city, to an apartment about a mile from my office, because before that I lived on South Hill, and it was a 30 minute commute every morning and evening.
I was careful not to schedule any meetings in Seattle after August 10th because to me, getting into Seattle in morning traffic is always a hassle. The freeway becomes a parking lot when there isn't construction. And in June, when I had two days of conference in Bellvue, I left home at 7 a.m. and didn't make it to Bellevue until 9:30 a.m. It was nuts! I know when you make this drive every day, you get used to it, but honestly, just because this is "the way it is" doesn't mean it has to be this way! I have enjoyed mass transit in Washington DC, Baltimore and Chicago--you can read a book, knit, do a crossword or take a nap. Lets put more money into viable mass transit, and realize that we cannot pave our way out of this.

The time has come for us to realize the ways of mass transit public transportation, such as in Japan. The days of driving alone in a car in Washington state are nearing thier end. The land mass i sjust too small and it was never planned or expected that the population here would become as high as it is, and getting bigger. I-5 is old and poorly designed, even when ther is no construction ther remains two lanes for getting through downtown as it squeezes of to the left into the express lanes and to the right an on ramp (this is heading north) the lanes are in horrible condition due to 40 years of wear and there is no good time to re-pave it. I ride a motorcycle to work nd if you think that the freeway is rough in your car - it's flat out nasty on a bike. But the fact remains that highways - Freeways etc are not the answer here, we need to model ourselves from other cultures with high density population. There is no fix, I-5 is over with, it should primarily be a vein for the shipment of transportable goods etc, NOT as a mens of commuting to and from the city. If Japan can do it so can we. I spent alot of time in Japan while in the U.S. Navy and thier train(s) and the system is incredible and easy to use too. It is just a culture shift - one that we must inevitably accept.

I have to ask, why didn't someone think to reduce the lanes to two this past MONDAY instead of Friday? With all the fear and hype brought on over this construction, wouldn't it have made MORE sense to have started out with the worst possible scenario ( only 2 lanes open ) followed by opening a third lane later in the week. Instead, Monday and Tuesday was a breeze, had everyone fooled. Hmmm .. maybe worth taking note for the NEXT construction event!

"Monday and Tuesday was a breeze, had everyone fooled."

Baloney. Every Monday is a light commuting day becuase most folks take the day off from the weekend and or have it off. Tuesday is just a little busier than a Monday and it is nto until Wednesday when things pick up to normal. Thursday see's even more traffic as people take off to get some lead time on the weekend and Friday - especially in the summer is always a mess, vactioners etc. It will never change and only get worse - it is not the construction - it is the inability of the freeway to handle this population period. At any time! Back when Washington's economy was based on logging, aerospace, fishing and farming, there was simply less people. Now that many industries and thier subsideraries and the families that go with them make Washington thier homep - it has inundated the freeways and all of the arterials. This ain't 1970 anymore, and it ain't the construction. This is everyday gridlock and it will never improve only get worse until we find an alternative means of getting people to work.

Why isn't it mentioned where all the traffic has gone. LIke to the Kingston Edmonds ferry, and the Bainbridge ferry. 3 hour wait during the week is very unusual. Even the Ferry workers are complaining about the tie up. They say its like Labor Day weekend all week.

we live in kent and the two of us carpool as much as we can. i hope the sound trainsit train will have a later schedule train in the morning and bus 150 will have a later schedule in the evening. the reason is my husband works from 10am to maybe 7pm. we took the train for the first and only time on 8/17/07 which was a nice and quick ride but it was too early. the same evening we rode bus #150 home and it was a long ride and we didn't like it. we would take public transportation more often if the schedules work for us.

Has anyone noticed that there are a whole lot of folks who aren't heeding to the right lane transit/truck-only restriction on Airport Way? While many of us are respectful of the intent, there are a whole lot of drivers who are not--and why should they care? No one is enforcing the restriction down there.

"Why isn't it mentioned where all the traffic has gone. LIke to the Kingston Edmonds ferry, and the Bainbridge ferry. 3 hour wait during the week is very unusual. Even the Ferry workers are complaining about the tie up. They say its like Labor Day weekend all week."
Posted by: nmdiaz | August 19, 2007 08:40 PM

Obviously you do not get to Mukilteo very often - where the tourism and campers keep us locals that live on Whidbey Island inaudated with traffic waits of at least 1-2 hours (3 or 4 in the summer) - 365 days a year

I am a single-occupant vehicle die-hard--in spite of my guilt over melting icecaps and drowning polar bears--but coming from Renton during the I-5 crunch, I knew I would have to come up with something better (ah, self-interest). I began taking the train from Tukwila and have loved the experience. It's a smooth and relaxing ride. I agree with the folks who said that more stops in Seattle are needed, as well as more trains/times. Parking at the Tukwila stop is an issue too. I take a much earlier train only because parking gets tight any later (incidentally, I catch the 6:44 although I have been aiming for the 6:59--I think the train is chronically 5 minutes behind). It's been crowded, but fellow passengers have been pleasant and very friendly. I wish I could take the train all over! The eastside! Everywhere! The buses I have to take thereafter to connect Point B to Point C are a whole different story, but I think I've finally found one that is reliable and, since I've been leaving home at the crack of dawn, gets me there on time (my two major issues with buses: 1) they are very often late or 2) they don't show up at all!) Luckily, since I'm with my supervisor, we have been able to adjust our hours so that we can leave a little earlier and catch the 4:50 train (usually I leave work at 5pm or later). I wish that there was a train between 5:10 and 5:40. A half-hour isn't an eternity, I know, but when it gets darker and wetter the convenience would be nice. My hope is that more people will get turned on to the train after the Crunch and the response will be to add more trains. And let's hear it for the Metro Flexpass and for employers that distribute them! Those puppies are worth their weight in gold!

PLEASE DON'T END THE CONSTRUCTION.... I love the construction going on right now. I have never had a such a quick commute to work as I do now. 45 minutes to Seattle. 45 minutes back home. It's amazing. Mornings used to take an hour and coming home could take one sometimes two hours. With everyone taking public transportation, the busses can flow through traffic much easier. So this must be what a city with a good public transit feels like.

Where was the constant news media coverage during the years of backups with the Tacoma Narrows Bridge construction traffic jams. We endured 200% plus in commute times but no sympathy from Seattle media. With OPTIONS for Seattle jams what is the complaining all about?

President Bush's Monday fund-raising visit threatens to shut down I5 and 405 during Monday afternoon rush hour! Could he be any more thoughtless?