Thanksgiving is traditionally one of the busiest holidays for state highways. WSDOT is suggesting drivers enjoy more time with family friends by checking road reports before leaving home.
WSDOT has posted the best time to travel Washington highways Thanksgiving weekend at the www.wsdot.wa.gov.
“Most highways and local roads will be busy the day before Thanksgiving (Wednesday, Nov. 26) and the Sunday following Thanksgiving,” said Paula Hammond, Secretary of Transportation. “Traveling at different times can really help avoid delays next week.”
WSDOT’s bases its travel data on typical traffic patterns and any traffic incidents or inclement weather could affect traffic flow.
Historical travel data shows:
• Travel times in 2007 and 2006 on the day before Thanksgiving were double between 1 p.m. and 8 p.m. on southbound I-5 between Seattle and Federal Way.
• Thanksgiving remains the busiest holiday weekend of the year for I-90 over Snoqualmie Pass and the section of I-5 south of Olympia through Lewis County.
• On the Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend, WSDOT expects increased traffic on eastbound SR 16 over the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. Many drivers might not have electronic toll accounts and WSDOT expects a higher than usual number to use the tollbooths. All manual tollbooths will be open during the peak hours. Those with Good To Go! transponders are encouraged to stay in the left-hand lanes approaching the toll plaza or to use the 24th Street on-ramp in Gig Harbor to avoid the toll plaza completely.
See the best time to travel graphs at: http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Congestion/ThanksgivingDay/
To help with traffic on I-5, Amtrak Cascades added one additional daily round trip between Seattle and Portland from Wednesday (Nov. 26) thru Sunday (Nov. 30) between Portland and Seattle. Amtrak encourages passengers traveling throughout the Pacific Northwest to make their reservations early. The trains frequently sell out on holiday weekends.
Be sure to purchase your tickets well in advance and arrive early at the station for your departure. For more information, visit: www.amtrakcascades.com or call 1-800-USA-RAIL.
If you are crossing the border into Canada, be sure to check the WSDOT Web site. Eleven new cameras will help make it easier to pick the crossing with the shortest lines. The cameras are available via
www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/border/. Sixteen cameras are available for all four border crossings. There are eight cameras on I-5, five on SR 543, two on SR 539 and one on SR 9.
Drivers should also advised:
• On, Friday, Nov. 28, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade in Seattle closes the southbound I-5 exit to Union through mid-morning and on Sunday, Nov. 30, the Seattle Marathon closes I-90 center roadway through mid-morning.
• In the Bellingham area, a series of slides has closed SR 11, Chuckanut Drive, in two locations. WSDOT is keeping the road closed for clearing of debris and to stabilize the hillside to prevent additional slides.
• SR 169 is closed at the Green River. WSDOT geotechnical engineers closed the bridge for motorists safety due to unstable soils and the potential of slide movement occurring beneath one of the Kumer Bridge’s piers.
• On U.S. 101 in Grays Harbor County, the West Fork Hoquiam River Bridge replacement project has signal-controlled, alternating one-way traffic at both ends of the bridge. Motorists may experience delays of up to five minutes.
• In Southwest Washington, the U.S. 97 Biggs Rapids – Sam Hill Bridge is closed to all traffic until early 2009. The bridge has been fully closed since September while crews demolish and reconstruct the deck on the southern half of the bridge as well as install improved, pedestrian-friendly bridge rail. Detour routes are available, and include U.S. 197 Dalles Bridge via I-84 or State Route 14. Another option for eastbound traffic is to cross at the I-82 Columbia River Bridge. In addition, carpool match information is available at www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/US97/BiggsBridge/travelerinfo.
• Traffic near area shopping centers may also increase Friday, Nov. 28. WSDOT is working with the Washington State Patrol to keep drivers safe and traffic moving.
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
• WSDOT offers several ways to get up-to-date traffic and construction information from our Web site at www.wsdot.wa.gov before you leave your home or office.
• At www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/weather drivers can look at weather forecasts and road temperatures throughout the state
• At www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/trafficalerts, the color-coded map shows statewide traffic conditions, including construction delays and highway incidents.
• 511 – This driver information phone line provides real-time traffic, incident and closure information. TTY users can call 1-800-833-6388.
• Drivers with web service on their cellular phones and PDAs can access small-screen I-90 pass updates at: www.wsdot.wa.gov/small by clicking on the “mountain pass reports” link.
ON THE ROAD:
• Overhead and roadside electronic signs – Overhead and freeway signs provide emergency and incident alerts and, in some Seattle-area locations during rush hours, point-to-point travel times
• Highway advisory radio – Yellow signs with flashing lights alert drivers to tune into radio frequencies airing construction updates
FERRIES
The WSDOT Ferries Division reminds travelers to allow extra time for ferry travel over the busy Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Four routes will be on a holiday schedule on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 27: Point Defiance/Tahlequah, Seattle/Bainbridge, Edmonds/Kingston and Mukilteo/Clinton. All other routes will operate on a regular Thursday schedule. There is no passenger-only service between Seattle and Vashon Island on Thanksgiving Day.
All ferry routes will operate on a regular weekday schedule on Friday, Nov. 28. Travelers should expect longer lines throughout the holiday weekend and are encouraged to arrive early. The longest backups are expected to occur westbound on Wednesday afternoon and evening, Nov. 26, and eastbound on Friday morning, Nov. 28.
We publish the holiday schedule details in the fall schedule; you can pick up a copy at terminals, on vessels, or download a copy from our Web site at www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries, or by calling toll-free at
1-888-808-7977. To sign up for free e-mail alerts about service disruptions and other route information, click on the link in the far left column of the Web site.
AVIATION
• To check the status of state-operated airports, visit: www.wsdot.wa.gov/aviation/airports/Amenities.htm or call 1-800-552-0666.
WSDOT Aviation encourages pilots to check with their local Flight Service Station for current Notices to Airmen and temporary flight restriction status before each flight. To contact the Flight Service
Station, please call 1-800-WX-BRIEF. Temporary flight restriction information is available at: airspace.nifc.gov/mapping/nifc/index.cfm
PUBLIC TRANSIT
On Thanksgiving, transit systems will follow a holiday schedule or will not operate fixed route and Dial-A-Ride services. On Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, many transit systems will operate on a limited schedule. Check with your local transit agency www.wsdot.wa.gov/choices/bus.cfm for more information.
