6:15 a.m: Finally, after 4 days of smooth commutes, we have a bad one.
We're up here on the Old Rainier Brewery, and can see it all.
Traffic on I-5 is backed up to the Corson/Albro exits. Airport Way is wide open. 4th, 1st, and 99 look pretty good. It will be interesting to watch over the next couple hours.
6:35 a.m.: Backup growing. 20 minute delay coming through the city. The cars are backing up to Corson/Albro exits. Other alternate routes, including Airport Way are wide open.
6:51 a.m.: WSDOT Engineer Russ East tells me traffic volume is way down today versus yesterday.
Right now, only 2,000 cars are getting through the zone, versus 4,000 yesterday. That could cause backups to linger.
7:06 a.m.: Bad News - WSDOT's Russ East says, based on current traffic volumes, the i-5 backup could grow, and last throughout the morning.
Good News- The project is roughly 50% done, and still 5 days ahead of schedule, so says the DOT.
7:13 a.m.: Take Airport Way to get into the city. It is wide open, and I can't believe more people aren't using it.
It has fewer stop lights than 1st, or 4th. Trust me, you'll beat your friends to work. Just get off at the Boeing Access Road and it's smooth sailing.
7:25 a.m.: WSDOT's Laura Johnson tells me it is now taking a half hour to get through the mile long work zone. Yikes!
7:38 a.m.: It's now the time of the day that's the typical peak commute. Not good.
WSDOT doesn't see this backup going away anytime soon. Part of the problem is the traffic flow is increasing from West Seattle, and all those people using the Spokane Street Onramp are merging into the already backed up traffic.
7:46 a.m.: Laura Johnson, with WSDOT, tells me here at scene the delay is now more than 30 minutes from the start of the backup, to the construction zone. They apparently had someone in a car test it out.
7:56 a.m.: Interesting, people are catching on. Airport Way is finally seeing more traffic. I'd say it's doubled in the last half hour, but still smooth sailing, no stopping, and people who are driving it are probably making it to work on time.
8:07 a.m.: WSDOT continues to say this flow on northbound I-5, through the construction zone, will probably not improve the rest of the morning. Plan ahead.
8:24 a.m.: Laura Johnson from WSDOT says, thanks to four days of smooth commutes, drivers were lulled into thinking it would be smooth today. There will only be two lanes open for the rest of the project. Remember, Spokane Street on ramp closes at 10 p.m., and for the remainder of the weekend.
8:37 a.m.: WSDOT says the backup on Northbound I-5 is now all the way back to the Michigan Curve! Yikes!
10:37 a.m. : According to WSDOT, Traffic is still slow through the Construction Zone. The Engineers, however, are seeing that people are now smartly exiting before the slowdown, and taking routes like Airport Way. That wasn't the case earlier. If you get stuck in the backup, it will take you roughly a half hour to get through the construction zone.
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Good luck in your commute!