WSDOT: Puget Sound travel times improving

Puget Sound travel times showed improvement in the second half of 2009 compared with the same period in 2007 and 2008, according to WSDOT’s congestion report on travel times published in its most recent quarterly report, the February 2010 Gray Notebook.

  • BY Wire Service
  • Tuesday, February 23, 2010 4:04pm
  • News
Puget Sound travel times showed improvement in the second half of 2009 compared with the same period in 2007 and 2008

Puget Sound travel times showed improvement in the second half of 2009 compared with the same period in 2007 and 2008

Puget Sound travel times showed improvement in the second half of 2009 compared with the same period in 2007 and 2008, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation’s congestion report on travel times published in its most recent quarterly report, the February 2010 Gray Notebook.

WSDOT compared the second half of 2009 to the same time period in 2007. Travel times improved on 14 of the 18 surveyed commute routes, with improvements ranging from one minute to 15 minutes. The second half of 2007 had the lowest area unemployment since the late 1990s, and relatively stable gas prices.

WSDOT found that most of the 18 examined routes experienced larger travel-time drops from the second half of 2007 to 2008 than from the second half of 2008 to 2009: that is, the improvement in Central Puget Sound travel times is slowing.

When we compared July-December 2009 data to the same time period in 2008, we see more mixed results, with some routes faster and about half unchanged or slower. The second half of 2009 had significantly higher unemployment, but also more stable gas prices, than the second half of 2008.

“We can see how higher fuel prices in 2008 and the current economic recession have contributed to the reduction in travel times, but we also have strong indications that the transportation improvements made possible by gas tax investments are also making a difference,” said Paula Hammond, Washington Transportation Secretary.

The largest improvements in travel times, comparing the latter halves of 2009 to 2008, were on I-405 between Bellevue and Tukwila. The morning commute showed a 13 minute travel time improvement northbound in the morning and a five minute travel time improvement southbound on the evening return trip. Data suggest that a contributing factor to this improvement was the completion of an auxiliary lane near the I-90 interchange that opened in January 2009.

The latest WSDOT information complements findings in the 2009 National Traffic Scorecard, an annual congestion report published by INRIX Corporation. The scorecard shows congestion holding steady between 2008 and 2009. While the INRIX Scorecard is based on national traffic speed data, WSDOT’s report is an analysis of both traffic speeds and traffic volume in the Central Puget Sound area.

WSDOT is currently delivering the largest capital construction program in our state’s history through the Nickel and TPA (240 projects complete as of December 31, 2009, worth approximately $3.7 billion).

WSDOT provides quarterly updates in every edition of the GNB on worker safety, workforce levels and training, highway incident response, Washington State Ferries, Amtrak Cascades, and project delivery. The December 31, 2009, edition is now available on the WSDOT website: www.wsdot.wa.gov/accountability.




Talk to us

Please share your story tips by emailing editor@kentreporter.com.

To share your opinion for publication, submit a letter through our website https://www.kentreporter.com/submit-letter/. Include your name, address and daytime phone number. (We’ll only publish your name and hometown.) Please keep letters to 300 words or less.

More in News

t
Cancer Center is open and ready to serve South King County

Cancer patients can now receive treatment at the Valley Medical Center in Renton.

t
Kent officers part of CW ‘Police 24/7’ episode Thursday night, Feb. 6

Department also part of future episodes after CW crews responded on calls with police in 2024

An Amtrak train in Kent. FILE PHOTO, STEVE HUNTER, Kent Reporter
Pedestrian, 30, dies in Kent collision with Amtrak train | Update

Medical examiner identifies Kent man struck Wednesday evening, Feb. 5 near East Titus Street

t
NTSB rules pilot lost control in 2023 Kent small plane crash

Pilot and passenger were injured; pilot flew without receiving training in plane model’s operation

Courtesy Photo, King County
Man receives 35-year sentence for 2021 Kent killing of mother

Duane Bates borrowed pipe wrench from neighbor in beating death and later returned it

A city of Kent Public Works crew member chains up a truck Feb. 3 to help clear snow from streets. COURTESY PHOTO, City of Kent
Kent schools closed for 3rd consecutive day due to icy conditions

Kent School District cancels classes on Wednesday, Feb. 5

t
World Relief office in Kent faces challenging refugee crisis

Trump’s executive order to suspend refugee resettlement directly impacts nonprofit

Courtesy Photo, Kent School District
Kent schools closed Tuesday, Feb. 4 due to icy roads

Second consecutive day of no school due to road conditions

Courtesy Photo, City of Kent
Kent Severe Weather Shelter to be open nights of Feb. 3-7

Shelter downtown at Holy Spirit Church will operate from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. each night

t
Kent Police hire officer who fatally shot Kansas man while on duty

Officer previously worked for Olathe Police Department; remains subject of wrongful death lawsuit

Calvin Watts. COURTESY FILE PHOTO, Kent School District
Ex-Kent schools’ superintendent Watts fired from Georgia job

Gwinnett County board terminates superintendent contract; Watts left Kent in 2021 for position