SEATTLE — Here are the best and worst times to hit the road Memorial Day weekend in western Washington, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT).
WSDOT shared travel charts last week for Interstate 5 between Lacey and Tacoma, Interstate 90 between Northbend and Cle Elum and US 2 between Stevens Pass and Skykomish.
Traffic analysts looked at previous Memorial Day weekend traffic trends as the base for the traffic charts.
WSDOT said as the graphs turn green to yellow, drivers can expect some congestion, but once red, the roadway is at capacity, meaning any small incident could cause a significant backup. The black line across each graph is the average amount of traffic on that particular day.
“We left this morning, around 11 and we're just now making it to Snoqualmie," said Kayla Spense-Richardson. "This is normally a 45-minute drive and it’s taken us over an hour to get here."
Spense-Richardson was driving from Ellensburg to Seattle to visit family and got stopped in traffic on I-90 westbound, with the highway more like a parking lot.
“Both lanes, we were able to talk to the people next to us," Spense-Richardson said. "We were completely stopped. The plan was to drive there today and drive by tonight but based on what its looking like right now probably going ot have to stay over there for the night."
WSDOT told drivers this Memorial Day to plan ahead and have supplies like food, water, and a full tank of gas before hitting the road.
“Keep in mind, if you're going to be on a road trip that's going to put you in your car for several hours, there could be a collision that could happen up the road from you, you could get stuck in some traffic for a while. We always want to encourage people to be prepared, have extra medication, have somebody who can feed your pets just in case you get stranded on the roadway for a little while,” said Amy Moreno, Spokesperson, WSDOT.
I-5 between Lacey and Tacoma
Those traveling on I-5 should expect heavy traffic congestion beginning as early as Thursday.
The most congested days are expected to be Thursday, Friday and Tuesday.
You can expect the heaviest congestion in both directions between 5 a.m. and 7 p.m. Thursday, between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. Friday, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Saturday, between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. Sunday, between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. Monday and between 5 a.m. and 6 p.m. Tuesday.
Memorial Day weekend travel charts: I-5 Lacey to Tacoma
I-90 between North Bend and Cle Elum
If you're traveling on I-90 between North Bend and Cle Elum, you can expect mostly light to moderate to heavy traffic throughout and leading up to the weekend.
The heaviest traffic congestion is expected Friday eastbound between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m., Saturday eastbound between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m., Sunday westbound between 1 p.m. and 6 p.m., and Monday westbound between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m.
Memorial Day weekend travel charts: I-90 North Bend to Cle Elum
US 2 between Stevens Pass and Skykomish
Those traveling between Stevens Pass and Skykomish on US 2 can expect the first amount of heavy congestion beginning Friday at noon.
The heaviest traffic congestion is expected Friday eastbound between 12 p.m. and 7 p.m., Saturday eastbound at 10 a.m., and Monday westbound between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Memorial Day weekend travel charts: US 2 between Stevens Pass and Skykomish
SEA Airport travel
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) projects it will screen more than 365,000 departing travelers at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) between May 23 and May 28. That is a 9.6% increase over last year's volumes, according to information from the airport. according to the TSA.
The two busiest days at SEA are expected to be May 23 and May 24, when more than 69,000 travelers are expected to be screened each day.
The busiest travel times at security checkpoints will be 4-8 a.m.; 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 3-6 p.m.
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