Driving Times – Alaska Junction to SeaTac

[Jeffrey43]

I will be teaching at a school near SeaTac and would love to live in the Alaska Junction. Google claims my driving time will be 20 min. over the bridge or 27 min on I 509. How accurate is this? I figure the bridge estimate is way off, but what about I 509? Google also has no good public transit options, is there really no good way to get to SeaTac without a car?

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[datamuse]

You can’t really go freeway speeds on 509 until you’re down near my neck of the woods (near White Center). It takes me about 15 minutes driving so 27 minutes is probably about right.

The 560 goes from the Junction to the airport; I customarily pick it up in White Center when I fly. But then you’re at the airport. I don’t really know about getting anywhere else in that area. Try soundtransit.org’s trip planner.

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[metrognome]

a reminder: service on the 560 was cut back last month and it only runs to/from WS during peak hours.

http://soundtransit.org/Schedules/ST-Express-Bus/560.xml

(ahem…this is really Metro’s trip planner: http://metro.kingcounty.gov/ If you use it and don’t get good results, try varying your times a little; the planner is very literal and may reject a perfectly good trip because it doesn’t allow enough walk time from the bus stop.)

Also, you didn’t mention what time you need to be there, which is important as traffic and drive times vary.

Someone posted a similar question a week ago and I suggested this alternate route:

35th south to Morgan, left on Morgan. Wind through High Point, etc., cross Delridge. At the T-intersection at the top of the hill, go right and then take an immediate left at the light (the old location for Zippy’s is on that corner.) At the T-intersection with Highland Park Way, turn left. Just keep on that road which will become SR-99 / W Marginal Way S which connects with I-5. The merge lane becomes the off-ramp for the airport.

There is very little traffic since you are going the opposite direction of the commute. The only real chokepoint, depending on when you are travelling, is the last stoplight where Marginal connects to 599 … after that it is all freeway. For the return trip, just take the W Marginal Way S / Interurban / Tukwila offramp from I-5, although you may be better get caught in congestion getting there.

Good Luck!

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[Jeffrey43]

Thanks for the tips. It looks like it will take me about an hour with public transit.

I expect to leave for work around 7 am and return around 5 pm. I’ll try driving the above suggestion during these times and see what happens. Just to be clear, taking the bridge is a bad (slow) idea?

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[metrognome]

For now, I would say the bridge is a bad idea at that time because backups on I-5 and the semis coming off Harbor Island can make travel times pretty unpredictable. I think the southbound exit lane from the bridge doesn’t back up as often as the northbound, but I haven’t crossed at that time for awhile.

I said ‘for now’ because there are some Port and City projects that will be finished this year that may reduce the semi traffic on the bridge, so keep and eye out for that. I’m sure the progress will be announced on WSB’s home page.

Also, the route I suggested has an alternate beginning that may allow you to decide if the Bridge is ok; go down Avalon and turn toward the Bridge. If it is too backed up, you can take Marginal Way instead; when you get to Highland Park Way, turn left and you’re on the road to 599. There is a higher speed on Marginal and fewer (if any?) lights when you clear the weird 5-way intersection under the Bridge than the first route I laid out.

I’d say an hour on the bus isn’t bad, esp if your pass is subsidized by the school. You can spend that hour grading papers …

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