Yesterday on I-5 was the worst commute I've had in 5 years

I drive from Everett to Seattle every day. Usually it's bad but manageable. Yesterday was a total nightmare. There was a three car pileup near the Boeing exit around 7:30 AM. That backed things up all the way past the 405 interchange. Then some genius in a Prius decided to cut across three lanes at the last second to make the express lanes. He almost took out a minivan full of kids. I sat in stop and go traffic for 2 hours and 15 minutes just to go 25 miles. My gas gauge was dropping like crazy. By the time I got to work I was ready to punch my steering wheel. Has anyone else dealt with that stretch of I-5 getting worse lately?

2 comments

2 Comments

paul28611d ago

Did you take the 405 alternative? I used to swear by sticking on I-5 no matter what, but after a similar nightmare last fall where I sat for almost three hours between Lynnwood and Northgate, I completely changed my mind. I started checking Waze religiously and now take 405 to 522 sometimes, it saves me maybe 15 minutes on a normal day but on days like that it's the difference between arriving and not arriving. What route do you usually try when the backup starts?

robert_lopez6411d ago

Yeah, but what do you do when 405 backs up too? I tried that route a few times and it worked great until one afternoon it was just as bad as I-5. Now I jump on Highway 9 if I'm far enough north, or even cut over to Highway 99 if I'm south of Lynnwood. It's not perfect but it at least keeps me moving, and on a bad day that's all you can hope for. @paul286, have you ever tried bailing to surface streets around Shoreline? I swear by taking 145th over to Aurora sometimes when both freeways are cooked.