Washington State parks over crowding

[Tom_Barb]

Today As I returned to my Island, the traffic was horrible, traffic was at a stand still for 5 miles either side of the Deception Pass State Park, simply because the parking area for viewing the pass from the bridge was full and cars were stopped waiting for a car to leave the lot so they could turn in.
Normally my commute from Burlington to Oak Harbor is about 45 minutes, today, 2 hours.

Rant over .

[clikrf8]

The traffic during summer months is why we choose to travel during the shoulder seasons of April, May and September, October. And, we have learned years ago to never drive through Seattle or any part of I5 corridor from Mount Vernon to Olympia. We either take 20 East if open or 20 west and take the ferry over to PT. Thanks for the heads up about Deception Pass. It isn't bad midweek in off season.

My grandparents used to live on Whidbey near Coupeville from 1965-1989. Traffic wasn't bad then
as we would travel there at least monthly from Bellingham. I guess it is no longer true.

[Tom_Barb]

irishtom29 wrote:
I was gonna head out from Duluth to Seattle, now I'll give it a pass and head New Mexico way.

Come on out, misery loves company, the west side is beautiful and the traffic can be coped with when you go to other places besides Seattle. Had you noticed? all the bitchin was about the I-5 corridor.

Come out to the islands, it's a beautiful 65 degrees, and wide blue, see for ever clear.

[irishtom29]

I was gonna head out from Duluth to Seattle, now I'll give it a pass and head New Mexico way.

[Tom_Barb]

Tonight coming home I got off the 5 coming north at the 212 exit, took the frontage road, to the starboard road exit, then the old pioneer highway to Conway, Fir Island road west thru Rexville, and best road north to Highway 20, stopped at the res for fuel. While waiting for the left turn lane to turn up the hill, I noticed the guy who passed me on the 5 was behind me at the light.

[gmctoyman]

Seems to be a message in the thread ?

[PawPaw_n_Gram]

In the past few weeks, the issue on I-5 is Tacoma, not Seattle.

We've been through the Olympia - Everett run NB three times and SB twice since May. Taking 512 from Lakewood to 161/167/ 405 has been the fastest.

Also don't go on Sunday or Saturday. Mid-day on week days seems to be the least traffic.

[Tom_Barb]

NWKomfort350 wrote:

Tom/Barb wrote:
Neighbor just got home with his motorhome from Eastern Wa, via #2, said the normal 7 hour trip took 11 hours. traffic was stop and go from 11 miles east of Goldbar to I-5

I also traveled from eastern Washington to western Washington via highway 2 on Sunday. Traffic was terrible. It took us 6 and a half hours to travel 191 miles.

Traffic from Everett to Olympia has also been terrible lately.
It took a friend of mine 10 hours to get from Bellingham, WA to Vancouver, WA a couple weeks ago.

When I must go south with the coach, (I-5) I leave Oak Harbor Sunday morning at 0400.
The last time we went I got really lucky, we got the express lanes open and empty at 1130 AM. South bound traffic was empty. Even the 5 south out of Seattle was running 65.
Coming home at 4:30 not so much. = horrible

[NWKomfort350]

Tom/Barb wrote:
Neighbor just got home with his motorhome from Eastern Wa, via #2, said the normal 7 hour trip took 11 hours. traffic was stop and go from 11 miles east of Goldbar to I-5

I also traveled from eastern Washington to western Washington via highway 2 on Sunday. Traffic was terrible. It took us 6 and a half hours to travel 191 miles.

Traffic from Everett to Olympia has also been terrible lately.
It took a friend of mine 10 hours to get from Bellingham, WA to Vancouver, WA a couple weeks ago.

[Tom_Barb]

Sunday later in the afternoon, The Light at Coronet Bay Road was regulating stop and go traffic all the way to Sharps corners. The Left turn lane at Sharps corner was backed up beyond the 19th hole intersection.
no accident, simply because traffic coming out of the park has priority. and keeps the light on short green, and long red for the Highway.

[Grit_dog]

n7bsn wrote:

myredracer wrote:
...
I'd rather drive back and forth through Deception Pass all day long than around Seattle on 405 just once.

Maybe more folks have also been going to/from Port Townsend to avoid Seattle?
...

I dono about Seattle, we live on the west side of the sound and take that ferry any time we are north bound. Avoids the entire Edmonds/Everett/SmokeyPoint mess

Like we will heading for Langley over the long weekend in Sept

405 is a gong show too now. as bad as I5 a lot of the time.
Semi good news, the other half of the 167/405 direct connector project should go right after this phase is finished (current job started about 6mo ago, where they're cutting out the hillside on the SE corner of 167/405).
As well the Renton to Bellevue 405 upgrade is slated to go out for bid in about 18 mo last I heard. WSDOT is trying to decide if 1 package for about $1bil or split it into 2 $500 mil projects. Kicker is, currently only will add 1 more lane each way!
I-90 Bellevue to Issaquah will get addl lane widneing for peak use shoulder driving, start mid next year. Similar to what I just finished up on 405 NB from 527 to I5.
520 eastbound West approach will go next year about the time the current Westbound approach is done.
I don't see this alleviating a lot even with the couple billion going into the freeways in King county in the next 5 years unfortunately.

[PawPaw_n_Gram]

We would take the road into Anacortes, turn around at the traffic circle and back out to Sharp's Corner in June while we were staying in La Conner. 4 extra miles driving and always beating vehicles sitting waiting on the left turn light.

Deception Pass would be a lot better if there was some signage about where to park. I didn't know there was a parking area inside the state park. I assume it is a pay to park area similar to the south side of the bridge. Even that is difficult to learn about when approaching for the first time.

We probably went across the bridge a dozen times during our three weeks in La Conner (had some things to get done at the base) and it was always crowded.

[frankdamp]

The dumb thing with Deception Pass SP is that there's plenty of parking inside the park, but many people just want to walk across the bridge and back and take photos and can't be bothered to walk up from the park.

Getting to/from Anacortes to I-5 isn't a big deal, even in the height of summer traffic. Most of the congestion is in the far left lane as you approach the Sharp's Corner lights - people going towards Whidbey Island. We still think it's the best place we've ever lived, now approaching 17 years here.

[Beerboy]

You will get people like that clogging up traffic. There's a car wash near me that used to always have traffic lined up in travel lanes to get in. The city put up a sign and started issuing tickets. I don't understand why you can't get some enforcement there. It sounds like a serious problem and possibly a hazard as cars come up to the tail end of the backup at highway speed.

[bikendan]

Tin-bender wrote:

bikendan wrote:
One of the reasons we chose Camano Island, to live, over Anacortes and Whidbey.
The traffic both ways is just terrible.

You chose to live where the traffic is just terrible bothways:?:E

Tinbender

I was referring to Anacortes and Whidbey traffic.