If you haven't already fled town for Thanksgiving, you're probably too late if you wanted to avoid traffic. As rough as Seattle's traffic is, it's about to go through the roof as holiday travelers head to their long weekend destinations. In fact, Seattle is expected to have the fourth worst holiday traffic in the country, as measured by percentage increase of time needed for an average trip by a study from traffic information firm Inrix. Trips on Wednesday are expected to take 32% longer on average than a normal trip, putting it behind only San Francisco, Portland and Los Angeles.
The worst timing for expected Thanksgiving traffic in Seattle is on Wednesday from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. And if you didn't think traffic was too bad last year, don't be too encouraged - it's expected to be 7% worse this year. Those headed to the airport won't get much of a reprieve, with travel times from downtown to Sea-Tac expected to take almost 50 minutes. The worst time to make that trip? Between 2:00 and 4:00 p.m.
What's the best way to avoid the crush? Inrix recommends that you leave before 2:00 p.m. or after 6:00 p.m. if you have to go on Wednesday. However, if you can wait until Thanksgiving morning, the roads should be completely clear.
· Thanksgiving Traffic Forecast [Inrix]
· SF's Thanksgiving Traffic Will Be Among the Nation's Worst [CSF]
· Traffic Jam [CS]