Travel Times Improve On Many Routes

A new state report shows that travel times improved on 14 to 18 commute routes surveyed between the last half of 2007 and the last half of 2009.

Travel times improved on 14 of 18 routes surveyed between the last half of 2007 to the last half of 2009.

Interstate 405 between Bellevue and Tukwila showed the biggest improvement, after an additional lane opened near the I-90 interchange in January 2009. Drivers spent on average 13 minutes less going northbound in the morning and five minutes less going southbound in the evening.

The state said one reason for the huge increase in travel time is the completion of the project that added lanes and widened I-405. Transportation also crews got rid of the Wilberton Tunnel that created a bottleneck.

Another reason for the faster times is less company on the roadway with the recession, unemployment levels are up, and fewer people are driving to work.

Also, as the high cost of gas soared to $4 a gallon in summer of 2008, more people turned to public transportation.

The test will be when the economy picks up and more drivers head back to the roads, if the newly completed construction projects can handle the load.

For more details, go to the WSDOT Web site.