Congested lanes on I-5 in the Central Puget Sound area.
Traffic congestion is a major problem in many parts of Washington State. During the last 20 years congestion has grown substantially in our urban areas, where two thirds of our state's residents live. As a result, drivers experience long delays due to traffic congestion on many urban area highways and arterials.
To address this issue the Washington State Legislature asked WSDOT to conduct a congestion relief study for three major urban areas: Spokane, Vancouver and Central Puget Sound.
Why study congestion?
Two million more people are expected to be added to our state's population by 2025, and most of them are expected to be located in urban areas. Already peak-period traffic demands have outgrown the capacity of Washington's transportation systems. The purpose of this study is to answer the following questions: What would it take to significantly reduce expected future traffic delay due to congestion in the State’s major urban areas? What are the associated costs and impacts? This study will help us answer how investments in transportation can be made to best offset further increases in traffic congestion that is expected to accompany future growth.
What is the study timeline?
We completed phase one of this study in March 2006 and are currently working on its second phase to provide additional data to better help find answers.
How can I get more information?
Contact:
Shuming Yan
yans@wsdot.wa.gov
206-464-1276
WSDOT Urban Planning Office
401 2nd Avenue South, Suite 300
Seattle, WA 98104-2887