Fastest route through Seattle??
Maybe this is a dumb question? We are planning next year's trip to California and want to get from the Can/US border at Blaine Wa. to southern Oregon or across the border into Cali. like maybe Yreka ...
Forum Discussion
Last week (Thur afternoon) I drove Lynnwood (north of Seattle) to Federal Way (almost Tacoma) and back.
Going south traffic was fast to 145, then stop/go to downtown, then fast the rest of the way. The return was around 7pm, and was fast all the way (dropping signs down to 50 mph through downtown). But south bound looked to be as backed up as earlier in the afternoon.
WSDOT has lots of traffic sensors and a good traffic map. They also archive maps going back a couple of years. So you can check historic conditions for almost any time of the day and day of the week.
They also have current travel time estimates, alerts, and traffic twitter.
Google maps also displays this kind of data, probably drawn from the WSDOT site.
The best bet for a ferry bypass would be the Port Townsend ferry, which takes reservations. A pleasant drive would be evening down Whidbey Island to the state park next to the ferry dock. Then an early morning ferry ride, followed by the drive down along Hood Canal. But like the BC Sea-to-sky drive (pre Olympics), a coastal drive can be a bit tiresome due to curves, and not necessarily save time compared to freeway (even with half an hour of stop/go).
Going south traffic was fast to 145, then stop/go to downtown, then fast the rest of the way. The return was around 7pm, and was fast all the way (dropping signs down to 50 mph through downtown). But south bound looked to be as backed up as earlier in the afternoon.
WSDOT has lots of traffic sensors and a good traffic map. They also archive maps going back a couple of years. So you can check historic conditions for almost any time of the day and day of the week.
They also have current travel time estimates, alerts, and traffic twitter.
Google maps also displays this kind of data, probably drawn from the WSDOT site.
The best bet for a ferry bypass would be the Port Townsend ferry, which takes reservations. A pleasant drive would be evening down Whidbey Island to the state park next to the ferry dock. Then an early morning ferry ride, followed by the drive down along Hood Canal. But like the BC Sea-to-sky drive (pre Olympics), a coastal drive can be a bit tiresome due to curves, and not necessarily save time compared to freeway (even with half an hour of stop/go).
