Labor Day weekend travel charts - I-5 U.S.-Canada border
Labor Day weekend travel charts showing when I-5 at the U.S.-Canada border is expected to be the most congested to help plan your travel.
Reading the charts
The colors
WSDOT traffic analysts looked at how many cars were on the road past Labor Day weekends. Based on this historical data, the graphs shows how many cars (vertical axis) we project to be on the road each hour (horizontal axis) for Labor Day weekend 2023. As the graphs turn from green to yellow, drivers can expect some congestion. During the red hours, traffic analysts predict travel will reach roadway capacity. Once a roadway reaches capacity, any small incident can cause significant backups.
The black line
The black line running from left to right shows typical traffic. This gives drivers more information on how the Labor Day 2023 holiday weekend travel may relate to a typical weekend.
Northbound
August 31
![2023 Labor Day travel chart](/sites/default/files/styles/max_650x650/public/2023-08/labor-day-2023-I-5-Border_NB-Thu.png?itok=Yfz-B-Jp)
September 1
![2023 Labor Day travel chart](/sites/default/files/styles/max_650x650/public/2023-08/labor-day-2023-I-5-Border_NB-Fri.png?itok=Oatk90Rj)
September 2
![2023 Labor Day travel chart](/sites/default/files/styles/max_650x650/public/2023-08/labor-day-2023-I-5-Border_NB-Sat.png?itok=arucjavB)
September 3
![2023 Labor Day travel chart](/sites/default/files/styles/max_650x650/public/2023-08/labor-day-2023-I-5-Border_NB-Sun.png?itok=RE0-Z1tY)
September 4
![2023 Labor Day travel chart](/sites/default/files/styles/max_650x650/public/2023-08/labor-day-2023-I-5-Border_NB-Mon.png?itok=EoYmpvQ6)
September 5
![2023 Labor Day travel chart](/sites/default/files/styles/max_650x650/public/2023-08/labor-day-2023-I-5-Border_NB-Tu.png?itok=g2Iiyloz)
Southbound
August 31
![2023 Labor Day travel chart](/sites/default/files/styles/max_650x650/public/2023-08/labor-day-2023-I-5-Border_SB-Thu.png?itok=snveP4oD)
September 1
![2023 Labor Day travel chart](/sites/default/files/styles/max_650x650/public/2023-08/labor-day-2023-I-5-Border_SB-Fri.png?itok=7isn7PQc)
September 2
![2023 Labor Day travel chart](/sites/default/files/styles/max_650x650/public/2023-08/labor-day-2023-I-5-Border_SB-Sat.png?itok=x5MKl7e0)
September 3
![2023 Labor Day travel chart](/sites/default/files/styles/max_650x650/public/2023-08/labor-day-2023-I-5-Border_SB-Sun.png?itok=qt5s-fMn)
September 4
![2023 Labor Day travel chart](/sites/default/files/styles/max_650x650/public/2023-08/labor-day-2023-I-5-Border_SB-Mon.png?itok=jOYMp1ni)
September 5
![2023 Labor Day travel chart](/sites/default/files/styles/max_650x650/public/2023-08/labor-day-2023-I-5-Border_SB-Tu.png?itok=fDJAga4-)
Slow down – lives are on the line.
In 2023, speeding continued to be a top reason for work zone crashes.
Even one life lost is too many.
Fatal work zone crashes doubled in 2023 - Washington had 10 fatal work zone crashes on state roads.
It's in EVERYONE’S best interest.
95% of people hurt in work zones are drivers, their passengers or passing pedestrians, not just our road crews.