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DOT offers holiday travel tips
The state Department of Transportation has a Web site — www.wsdot.wa.gov — that will provide the best times to travel the state's highways over the Thanksgiving weekend. Most highways and local roads are expected to be busy on Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving, and the Sunday after Thanksgiving. The information here may help travelers avoid...
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The state Department of Transportation has a Web site — www.wsdot.wa.gov — that will provide the best times to travel the state’s highways over the Thanksgiving weekend.
Most highways and local roads are expected to be busy on Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving, and the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Traveling at other times may help people avoid delays.
Thanksgiving is the busiest holiday weekend of the year on Interstate 90 over Snoqualmie Pass and Interstate 5 south of Olympia through Lewis County, the department said.
Past travel data shows that travel times are much shorter Wednesday and Thursday mornings and on the Monday after the holiday.
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Longer-than-usual wait times at ferry docks and at Canadian-border crossings also are expected most of the weekend.
Ferry travelers should allow extra time for holiday travel. Four routes — Point Defiance-Tahlequah, Seattle-Bainbridge, Edmonds-Kingston and Mukilteo-Clinton — will be on a holiday schedule on Thanksgiving. All other routes will be on the regular Thursday schedule. There is be no passenger-only service between Seattle and Vashon Island on Thanksgiving. All ferry routes will be on regular schedules the day after the holiday.
At ferry terminals, the longest backups are expected westbound on Wednesday afternoon and evening, and eastbound on Friday morning.
Canada-bound motorists can check the DOT Web site, where traffic cameras can help select the crossing with the shortest lines. There are eight cameras on I-5, five on Highway 543, two on Highway 539 and one on Highway 9.
Amtrak will have an extra daily round trip between Seattle and Portland from Wednesday-Sunday. Passengers traveling by train should make reservations early, because trains often sell out on holiday weekends.
In Seattle, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in downtown Seattle will mean closures of the southbound I-5 exit to Union Street through midmorning Friday. On Nov. 30, I-90’s center roadway will be closed through midmorning for the Seattle Marathon.
In the Bellingham area, a series of slides has closed Highway 11, Chuckanut Drive, in two places. The DOT is keeping the road closed to clear debris and stabilize the hillside.
Highway 169 is closed at the Green River Bridge because of unstable ground and the potential for sliding under one of the Kumer Bridge’s piers.
On Highway 16 over the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, the DOT expects increased eastbound traffic on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. The state expects a higher-than-usual number of motorists to use the tollbooths, and all manual tollbooths will be open during peak hours.
At the DOT Web site, drivers can get updated traffic and construction information, weather forecasts and road temperatures throughout the state, traffic alerts, and there’s a color-coded map of statewide traffic conditions.
A 511 information phone line provides real-time traffic, incident and closure information. Drivers with Web service on a cellphone or PDA can access small-screen I-90 pass updates at www.wsdot.wa.gov/small by clicking on the “mountain pass reports” link.
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US 2 between Skykomish and Stevens Pass. I-90 North Bend to Cle Elum. I-5 Lacey to Tacoma. Christmas and Fourth of July travel charts are provided only on years that the holiday creates a three-day weekend (when the holiday falls on a Monday, Saturday, Sunday or Friday). If the holiday falls on other days of the week there is not enough ...
WSDOT Travel Center. Travel times. Check travel times for Snoqualmie Pass, Seattle, Tacoma and Vancouver, Washington.
Look up real-time travel conditions for state highways or ferry routes online using the WSDOT website or track it on the WSDOT mobile app. Follow WSDOT's social media accounts, such as Twitter and Facebook for updates on potential crashes or road closures. Pre-program 530 AM and 1610 AM to vehicle radios for highway advisory radio alerts.
Exit. Hours (M-F) 6-9 AM, 3-7 PM. Width. 11'2". Days when travel is restricted: Vehicles operating under special permit for overweight/over dimensional, except as provided for in Washington Administrative Code (WAC 468-38-075), may be restricted from the state highways on the holidays.
Which is why holiday travel prep is so important, the Washington State Department of Transportation said in a news release. WSDOT urges all travelers to "know before you go" and plan head for ...
WSDOT Travel Center. Traffic detectors called induction loops are low-voltage coils buried in the roadway used to operate traffic signals, ramp meters, travel time signs and send data from the roadside to the Traffic Management Centers.
These two are the the popular routes taken by holiday travelers, but WSDOT also provided travel charts for I-5 Lacey to Tacoma and I-5 Bellingham to the Canadian Border.
Find the best time to take a vehicle on a ferry. View the Best Times to Travel tool which will tell you the busiest and least busy times to take a vehicle on a ferry. You can also find the link listed in the top right-hand column of each of the route schedule page. ... Accessibility. For different format schedules email the WSDOT Office of ...
Christmas weekend travel times. Christmas weekend travel times vary by year. See how holiday traffic may affect your plans. Christmas holiday weekend travel charts are provided only on years that the holiday creates a three-day weekend (when the holiday falls on a Monday, Saturday, Sunday or Friday). If the holiday falls on other days of the ...
The state Department of Transportation has a Web site — www.wsdot.wa.gov — that will provide the best times to travel the state's highways over the Thanksgiving weekend. Most highways ...
WSDOT has many tools and resources to help plan travel this holiday season: Get informed about WSDOT's online tools, including the WSDOT mobile app, traffic cameras and email alerts. Visit online traveler information for traffic, weather, ferry schedules and a real-time travel map. Follow WSDOT on various social media platforms including ...
The map provides traffic flow, travel alerts, cameras, weather conditions, mountain pass reports, rest areas and commercial vehicle restrictions.
I-5 at milepost 276.56: General Purpose. Northbound wait time: 15 Min. Last updated: 05/01/2024 12:20 PM.
Peak travel times on most routes are expected to be westbound (or onto an island) Wednesday and Thursday, Nov. 22-23, then eastbound (or off an island), Friday and Saturday, Nov. 24-25. Customers also can bypass vehicle lines by traveling as a walk-on passenger.
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Prepare for your trip on our roads, ferries, rail, public transit, or taking off from a local airport. Get real-time alerts, live cameras, current travel times, and bridge and road restrictions for your route.
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For people who plan to travel on the popular three-day weekend, now is the time to make travel plans and expect congestion on most routes. The Washington State Department of Transportation encourages travelers to consult the holiday traffic volume charts to determine best times to travel, including times to avoid if possible. The Interstate 5 ...
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Chinook and Cayuse passes. State Route123/Cayuse Pass is scheduled to reopen by 8 a.m. Friday, May 27, in time for Memorial Day weekend. Relentless winter weather with continued snowfall and high avalanche danger will keep State Route 410/Chinook Pass closed until it is safe to reopen. Travelers can check the Chinook Pass and Cayuse Pass online ...
In addition to the usual long vehicle lines and wait times surrounding holiday weekends, all Labor Day ferry travelers should prepare for possible last-minute schedule changes. Sailings may be delayed or canceled with short notice due to WSF's current lack of relief crewing (PDF 434KB) or an unexpected mechanical issue within the system's ...