Route to avoid traffic from Oregon City OR to Mill Creek WA

[4aSong]

Looking for the best route to avoid traffic, this is what I currently have:

Hwy 205 to Hwy 5 to Hwy 405 to Mill Creek.
Are there alternate routes with less traffic?

Thanks in advance.

[paulj]

In the Tacoma area, WA 512 and 167 is alternative to I5.

Currently on Google Maps, this times the same as I5 the whole way.

On GM, don't just look at the routes it suggests - add some other waypoints to test alternatives.

Given the layout of the Seattle/Tacoma metro area there isn't such a thing as a fast outer beltway. You are stuck with going through on I5 or 405. And with east side development, traffic is similar. Think of Bellevue as the east 'downtown' with rush hour traffic focus.

WSDOT also has a good traffic map website with lots of traffic sensors and webcams. But I suspect Google Maps is making good use of that information when making real time suggestions.

https://wsdot.com/travel/real-time/

From the travel time page, the I5 v I405 times from where they split to where they rejoin:

Southcenter to Alderwood via I-405
Distance: 29.62 miles
Average time: 31 minutes
Current time: 35 minutes
Last updated: 07/08/2022 1:00 PM

Southcenter to Alderwood via I-5
Distance: 27.05 miles
Average time: 32 minutes
Current time: 32 minutes
Last updated: 07/08/2022 1:00 PM

[jamesu]

No such animal in the Puget Sound region anymore…I’m sorry too.

[Microlite_Mike]

donkeydew wrote:
sorry just bite the bullet its hit or miss 5 vs 405.
you might check in with waze just before renton,i got lucky and stayed on 5 right through downtown without ever slowing thanks to waze 3 years ago

I avoid Seattle whenever possible. While 405 isn't perfect, it is a lot more "RV Friendly" than going through the bottleneck and lousy road surface of downtown Seattle.

If I HAVE to go through Seattle with my TT I try to time my Southbound trips for morning hours and Northbound to afternoon. Reason is that the "Express Lanes" are Southbound during morning hours until around 11:00 AM and Northbound from around Noon until late night.

Also, there is construction on I-5 near downtown over the weekends from Friday through early Monday AM.

405 during weekdays is not too bad during hours of 10:00 AM to ~ 2:30 PM.

[donkeydew]

sorry just bite the bullet its hit or miss 5 vs 405.
you might check in with waze just before renton,i got lucky and stayed on 5 right through downtown without ever slowing thanks to waze 3 years ago

[Thermoguy]

I don't think there is a viable alternative. Yes, going 205 in OR is better than I5, and only takes a little longer. Definitely 405 in WA, but it can have lots of traffic. Best to plan your route around rush hour times, in WA that's 6AM to 7PM, but at some point you just have to be OK driving slow here and there. I drive these routes all the time some with and many without a trailer. The OR drive is not that bad unless you hit it right at peak travel times. 405 in WA is always bad, but just hit and miss as to where. These days traffic is all day long vs a set rush hour. Just go and take your time.