SEATTLE – The machine boring beneath the Alaskan Way Viaduct is nearly halfway to the goal.
WSDOT said Wednesday morning Bertha has excavated 148 of 385 feet since the viaduct closed last Friday. That’s 39 percent of the distance it needs to reach before the elevated highway can reopen.
WSDOT warned the morning commute could be worse mid-week, and that seemed to be the case Wednesday. Traffic on northbound Interstate 5 was much more congested earlier in the morning – a sign drivers were leaving for work earlier or that they were complacent considering the first few days of the closure went relatively well.
Related: Download the Seattle Traffic App
KING 5 Traffic Reporter Tracy Taylor says backups on northbound I-5 into Seattle started around 5:30 a.m. and out of West Seattle around 5:45 a.m.
Taylor also said a lot of drivers avoided I-5 altogether and used State Route 18 and I-405 to I-90. That, in turn, caused delays for drivers who regularly go to the eastside.
Other observations from WSDOT about the commute:
Morning commute
• Fewer vehicles are making the trek from Everett to Seattle in the morning. As a result, the north end commute is starting at its normal time, and while still heavy, resembles a typical morning commute.
Afternoon commute
• Southbound I-5 into Seattle is experiencing earlier delays in the afternoon.
• WSDOT Incident Response Teams are always on duty and working closely with WSDOT’s traffic management center and emergency responders to clear incidents as quickly as possible.
Seattle City Streets
• The Seattle Department of Transportation has adjusted signal lights and created more space for buses by removing parking on busy arterial streets.
• SDOT incident response teams have more than doubled their responses on the first three weekdays of the closure to work to clear accidents quickly.
• Fourth Avenue has seen some of the most challenging backups with many more cars and buses trying to head into the city.
• Bike ridership for Monday reached record high numbers. More than 5,000 bike riders crossed the Fremont Bridge – the highest count so far this year. More than 2,500 riders crossed the Southwest Spokane Street Swing Bridge - more than double an average weekday, and the highest count since this bike lane opened in 2013.
King County water taxi
• King County water taxi service is experiencing record numbers.
• 13,750 water taxi riders traveled to and from West Seattle April 29 through May 3, compared to 4,100 over the same period last week.
• There is still parking in West Seattle for commuters at Pier 2, with a connecting shuttle available.
Buses
• Early information suggests a 2 to 7 percent increase in ridership on Metro’s Rapid Ride C, D and E Lines.
• Standby buses added 74 trips and carried 2,200 riders April 29 through May 1.
Trains
• Preliminary estimates are that light rail ridership increased 10 percent and Sounder ridership increased 20 percent above normal weekday commutes.
• Sound Transit has added rail cars to its Sounder north commuter line and has increased the number of three-car light rail trains operating during peak hours.
