Bridge traffic worse or is it my imagination?

[PLS]

I know this has been asked, answered, and argued many times before but here I go. Does it seem like traffic on the bridge is worse than usual, surprisingly so? It’s at all hours of the day and both lanes Eastbound. I go up to Spokane/Columbian Way all the time and that right lane that used to clear up after 1st Ave exist is backed up to I-5 even at 9 or 10am. Just in general the number of cars on the bridge throughout the morning that direction seems far larger and we don’t even have school on now. What will happen in a month? I know we have more people in W. Seattle now, obviously, but has something else changed?

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[wsn00b]

I see lots of people merging in late or after the double-white line at the east-end of the Spokane Street Luxury Pothole Collection err…Viaduct. That could cause more congestion than is proportional to our population/driver growth.

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[angelescrest]

I think it’s just people, but I don’t know. To get to UW by 9:30, I’m leaving at 7:30–because everything just gets worse as 9:00 a.m. approaches. I did notice that many of the trucks from the docks either wait until they’re over 4th, or have trouble moving into the left/I5 northbound lane, and that slows everything down. And every day, there are cheaters, who are darting in the bus lane, cutting into long-waiting lines, etc.

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[flyingchickensinthebarnyard]

I think there has been a shift in traffic patterns since Lander closed to build the overpass. My working theory is that the disruption is primarily due to Port of Seattle trucks, who no longer have their usual routes/shortcuts with the Lander closure, and are reworking their approach to mobility in the area. Seems like there have been more trucks coming up to the Spokane Street Viaduct right before the exit to First Ave S., which creates a lot of the bottlenecks each morning over the high rise.
It also seems like people are naturally slowing down heading on the rise of the bridge Eastbound due to that big shiny thing in the sky, as once you hit the crest it tends to open up as you head downward. Your mileage may vary.

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[newnative]

I think it’s a bottle-necking issue because if you look at the webcams at any given time, there doesn’t seem to be high volume but there slow downs.

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[blbl]

Maybe I’m misunderstanding angelescrest, but isn’t the third lane from the left (eastbound) open for half of the length of the bridge, before it becomes the bus lane? I don’t understand why people who use that open lane are called cheaters. They aren’t cheating, they are using an open lane. As I’ve seen, its usually people merging from Delridge or onto the 99 onramp). I’m not talking about stopping in the lane when it suddenly becomes restricted, that’s not ok, but why is it cheating to drive in an open, legal, lane?

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[KBear]

I think they mean people cutting across the “Bus Only” portion of that lane, or people crossing the double white line to cut into the line at the I-5 north exit. Both are illegal.

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[Franci]

I think she is referring to the bus lane cheaters at the west end of the eastbound lanes. The on ramp from Admiral/Avalon is a bus only lane until after the Delridge traffic ramp/lane has joined for 4th lane eastbound. Everyday I see people hopping into the bus-only lane at the west end of the eastbound bridge. Its clearly marked with big red letters bus only. And routinely ignored by many. Same think on the viaduct, everyday there is at least 1 driver, during my commute, who drives all the way down the bus lane.

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[AaronChron]

“I think it’s a bottle-necking issue because if you look at the webcams at any given time, there doesn’t seem to be high volume but there slow downs.”

Yup, it may very well be a bottle-necking issue.

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[22blades]

If I’m not on the bridge by 6:15 am, it’s a parking lot headed into town via I5, 4th Avenue or the Viaduct. Columbia Way is choked off anymore. Yesterday, it took me 2:00 to get home from 85th & Aurora. At 2 pm.

For a purportedly “Green” city, there sure are some “not green” practices. Ride Shares and Car shares are putting more vehicles on the road instead of reducing them. I’ve told this before but I travel for a living and ask any hotel van driver will tell you that the airport, any airport, has gotten to be a madhouse because of Car to Go or Uber. Not only do car shares clog up the streets but the take up precious parking spaces downtown. Empty (a block of them lined up in front of Starbucks on 1st Ave).

No, it’s not your imagination. It’s really real!

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