With the Fourth of July just around the corner, the state Department of Transportation says drivers should start planning now for heavy holiday traffic on roads and ferries; allow extra travel time and consider traveling at non-peak times.
The holiday weekend is expected to be the busiest weekend of the year for Washington State Ferries. Extra sailings will be added for several routes. Reservations are strongly recommended for the San Juan Islands; Sidney, British Columbia; or Port Townsend/Coupeville. Travelers can also consult the best times to travel tab on the right of each route’s summer schedule listing.
Travel across Interstate 90 from the summit of Snoqualmie Pass to Vantage is going to be particularly tricky this summer — including the holiday — due to a number of road projects.
The heaviest congestion is westbound near Cle Elum from mileposts 84 to 93, where repaving work means a single-lane detour. Motorists can avoid these backups by using an alternate route via U.S. Highway 97 to state Route 10.
Another tough spot is the Vantage Bridge, which is down to a single eastbound lane until the end of summer due to a bridge painting job. Work won’t take place during the holiday, but the heavy concrete barriers can’t be easily removed, so the single lane of eastbound traffic will remain. Plan on extra time to get through this area.
Other spots of construction and delays include:
• The summit of Snoqualmie Pass east near Keechelus Lake (mileposts 54-62)
• Easton area (mileposts 67-70)
• Ellensburg area (mileposts 106-122)
Across the rest of the state, drivers can:
• Get informed about WSDOT’s online tools, including mobile apps, traffic cameras and email alerts.
• Visit the WSDOT online traveler information about traffic, weather and ferry schedules; call 5-1-1 for updated road conditions.
• Follow WSDOT’s social media accounts, such as Twitter and Facebook.
• Pre-program your vehicle radio to 530 AM and 1610 AM for highway advisory radio alerts.
• Leave extra time for travel.
