Early traffic counts conducted by the Washington State Department of Transportation show an increase of nearly 10% in holiday weekend traffic from 2008, with I-90 Snoqualmie Pass showing a 9% increase, Stevens Pass a 12% increase and I-5 near Olympia a 7% increase.
These increases, combined with traffic collisions, led to long delays. Travel was especially tough over I-90 Snoqualmie Pass both Friday afternoon and Monday.
Here are some statistics from the west side (there was no mention in the news release of traffic in other areas) for Memorial Day weekend ’09, as compared to ’08:
– 199,000 vehicles traveled over Snoqualmie Pass between Friday and Monday, an increase of 16,500 vehicles.
– Travelers headed west across Snoqualmie Pass on Monday faced 22 miles of stop-and-go traffic as a result of several minor collisions.
– 38,200 vehicles traveled US 2 from Friday through Monday, an increase of 4,300 vehicles.
– 269,700 vehicles traveled I-5 south of Olympia into Lewis County between Friday and Monday, an increase of 17,700 vehicles.