Planning ahead is the perfect present for holiday travelers

While wrapping final presents and whipping up holiday treats, make sure to also plan ahead for stress-free holiday travel.......

December 17, 2015 1:50 pm
Be safe!
Be safe!

Use WSDOT’s tools and alerts to help plot your Christmas weekend course

OLYMPIA – While wrapping final presents and whipping up holiday treats, make sure to also plan ahead for stress-free holiday travel.

 

By following these steps, drivers can be celebrating with family and friends, instead of sitting on a freeway:

 

·         Check the Washington State Department of Transportation’s best times to travel tips. Three-day Christmas weekends are rare, but WSDOT analysts have used their best historical data to predict travel times.

 

·         Get informed about WSDOT’s online tools, including mobile apps, traffic cameras and email alerts.

 

·         Visit online traveler information for traffic, weather and ferry schedules.

 

·         Follow WSDOT’s social media accounts, such as Twitter and Facebook.

 

·         Pre-program your vehicle radio to 530 AM and 1610 AM for highway advisory radio alerts.

 

·         Carry chains and other winter driving essentials. Check current chain and traction requirements on the WSDOT passes website, highway advisory signs or by calling 5-1-1.

 

·         Leave extra time for holiday and winter travel, drive safe and keep warm.

 

Recent Storm Closures

 

Two recent storm damage closures may need to be factored into drivers’ holiday travel plans:

 

·         White Pass on US 12 remains closed in both directions as of Dec. 17, but the goal is to reopen one lane in each direction by Christmas, weather dependent. Check the White Pass washout page for updates.

 

·         One of three lanes on northbound Interstate 5 remains closed near Woodland and will remain so through the holiday. There is no estimated date for reopening the third lane. Check our Southwest Region page for updates.

 

 

Aside from emergency repair work, most other state highway construction work is suspended beginning noon Thursday, Dec. 24, through the weekend to ease congestion.

 

 

In the mountains, the North Cascades Highway (State Route 20) and Chinook (State Route 410) and Cayuse (junction of State Routes 123 and 410) passes have closed for the winter. On Snoqualmie Pass (elevation 3,022) plan for possible longer avalanche control delays this winter as work to widen Interstate 90 continues. Check the most current Washington pass conditions before heading out.

 

In the Puget Sound, the State Route 520 bridge will have weekend toll rates on Christmas Day, Friday, Dec. 25. Also, on the new Interstate 405 express toll lanes, the free carpool requirement will be two people all day on Christmas.

 

Travelers making a trip by ferry, train, personal aircraft or bus also should plan ahead to avoid holiday delays:

 

·         Anticipate heavy holiday ferry traffic and plan accordingly. The longest lines are expected westbound Wednesday, Dec. 23, and Thursday, Dec. 24 and eastbound Sunday, Dec. 27. Check the Washington State Ferries website,www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/, or call toll-free 888-808-7977 for details. If traveling as a walk-on passenger is an option, it allows customers to bypass any potential vehicle lines.

 

·         WSDOT added an extra holiday train between Seattle and Portland on Sunday, Dec. 27, to help travelers return home and ease highway congestion. All Amtrak Cascades trains require reservations. Visit www.amtrakcascades.com/ or call 800–USA–RAIL for details.

 

·         For information about traveling via state-operated airports, visit http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/aviation/airports/Amenities.htm or call 800-552-0666.

 

·         Check with your local public transit agency for any holiday schedule or service changes, including some Dial-A-Ride and fixed-route service that may not run on holidays.

 

Hyperlinks within the release:

· WSDOT holiday travel graphs: www.wsdot.wa.gov/Congestion/ChristmasDay/2015/

· WSDOT online tools: www.wsdot.wa.gov/inform

· WSDOT traveler information: www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic

· WSDOT Twitter accounts: www.wsdot.wa.gov/inform/twitter

· WSDOT Facebook: www.facebook.com/WSDOT

· Winter driving essentials: www.wsdot.wa.gov/winter/emergencykit.htm

· WSDOT pass conditions: www.wsdot.com/traffic/passes/

· Safe winter driving tips: www.wsdot.com/winter/

· White Pass washout updates: www.wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/US12/WhitePassWashout/

· I-5 near Woodland updates: www.wsdot.wa.gov/regions/southwest/

· Public transit systems: www.wsdot.wa.gov/Choices/bus.htm


Planning ahead is the perfect present for holiday travelers

Use WSDOT’s tools and alerts to help plot your Christmas weekend course

OLYMPIA – While wrapping final presents and whipping up holiday treats, make sure to also plan ahead for stress-free holiday travel.

By following these steps, drivers can be celebrating with family and friends, instead of sitting on a freeway:

·         Check the Washington State Department of Transportation’s best times to travel tips. Three-day Christmas weekends are rare, but WSDOT analysts have used their best historical data to predict travel times.

·         Get informed about WSDOT’s online tools, including mobile apps, traffic cameras and email alerts.

·         Visit online traveler information for traffic, weather and ferry schedules.

·         Follow WSDOT’s social media accounts, such as Twitter and Facebook.

·         Pre-program your vehicle radio to 530 AM and 1610 AM for highway advisory radio alerts.

·         Carry chains and other winter driving essentials. Check current chain and traction requirements on the WSDOT passes website, highway advisory signs or by calling 5-1-1.

·         Leave extra time for holiday and winter travel, drive safe and keep warm.

Recent Storm Closures

Two recent storm damage closures may need to be factored into drivers’ holiday travel plans:

·         White Pass on US 12 remains closed in both directions as of Dec. 17, but the goal is to reopen one lane in each direction by Christmas, weather dependent. Check the White Pass washout page for updates.

·         One of three lanes on northbound Interstate 5 remains closed near Woodland and will remain so through the holiday. There is no estimated date for reopening the third lane. Check our Southwest Region page for updates.

Aside from emergency repair work, most other state highway construction work is suspended beginning noon Thursday, Dec. 24, through the weekend to ease congestion.

In the mountains, the North Cascades Highway (State Route 20) and Chinook (State Route 410) and Cayuse (junction of State Routes 123 and 410) passes have closed for the winter. On Snoqualmie Pass (elevation 3,022) plan for possible longer avalanche control delays this winter as work to widen Interstate 90 continues. Check the most current Washington pass conditions before heading out.

In the Puget Sound, the State Route 520 bridge will have weekend toll rates on Christmas Day, Friday, Dec. 25. Also, on the new Interstate 405 express toll lanes, the free carpool requirement will be two people all day on Christmas.

Travelers making a trip by ferry, train, personal aircraft or bus also should plan ahead to avoid holiday delays:

·         Anticipate heavy holiday ferry traffic and plan accordingly. The longest lines are expected westbound Wednesday, Dec. 23, and Thursday, Dec. 24 and eastbound Sunday, Dec. 27. Check the Washington State Ferries website,www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/, or call toll-free 888-808-7977 for details. If traveling as a walk-on passenger is an option, it allows customers to bypass any potential vehicle lines.

·         WSDOT added an extra holiday train between Seattle and Portland on Sunday, Dec. 27, to help travelers return home and ease highway congestion. All Amtrak Cascades trains require reservations. Visit www.amtrakcascades.com/ or call 800–USA–RAIL for details.

·         For information about traveling via state-operated airports, visit http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/aviation/airports/Amenities.htm or call 800-552-0666.

·         Check with your local public transit agency for any holiday schedule or service changes, including some Dial-A-Ride and fixed-route service that may not run on holidays