SEATTLE — Here are the best and worst times to hit the road Christmas weekend in western Washington, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT).
WSDOT shared travel charts last week for Interstate 5 between Lacey and Tacoma, Interstate 90 between Northbend and Cle Elum and US 2 between Stevens Pass and Skykomish.
WSDOT traffic analysts look at previous Christmas weekend traffic trends as the base for the traffic charts.
WSDOT said as the graphs turn green to yellow, drivers can expect some congestion, but once red, the roadway is at capacity, meaning any small incident could cause a significant backup. The black line across each graph is the average amount of traffic on that particular day.
I-5 between Lacey and Tacoma
Those traveling on I-5 should expect heavy traffic congestion throughout the entire Christmas weekend with the exception of Christmas Day.
I-5 will begin to see heavy congestion as early as 7 a.m. Thursday. You can expect heavy congestion Thursday between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m., Friday between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., Saturday between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., Sunday between 12 p.m. and 1 p.m., Monday between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. and Tuesday between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.
The heaviest traffic congestion is expected southbound I-5 between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Thursday, Monday and Tuesday.
I-90 between North Bend and Cle Elum
If you're traveling on I-90 between North Bend and Cle Elum, you can expect mostly light to moderate to heavy traffic throughout and leading up to the weekend.
The heaviest traffic congestion is expected Monday eastbound between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. and westbound between 12 p.m. and 4 p.m.
US 2 between Stevens Pass and Skykomish
Those traveling between Stevens Pass and Skykomish on US 2 can expect the first amount of heavy congestion beginning Friday at 8 a.m. eastbound and 3 p.m. westbound.
The heaviest traffic congestion is expected Monday between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. eastbound and 11 a.m. and 7 p.m. westbound.
WSDOT is asking travelers to plan ahead to save time and frustration.
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