Seattle route to reopen

SEATTLE – The Alaskan Way Viaduct in Seattle will reopen at midday today, ending traffic congestion drivers call “Viadoom” a day and a half early, transportation officials said Friday.

Demolition, striping and other work for a bypass on the south part of the viaduct were ahead of schedule, said Washington Transportation Department spokesman Travis Phelps. The viaduct is one of three main north-south routes through the metro area and typically carries 110,000 vehicles a day.

Transportation officials had advised drivers to change their hours or take buses, light rail and the Elliott Bay water taxi. Traffic congestion appeared worse generally throughout the Seattle area, especially during the afternoons, Phelps said, and long backups were common on Interstate 5 and surface streets as drivers fumed.

But the congestion after the viaduct was shut down on Oct. 21 was not as bad as some feared. “All in all, drivers did a good job of finding alternate routes,” Phelps said.

Still, the Friday evening commute was a corker – bedeviled by rain, heavy traffic, collisions and, yes, Viadoom.

The Washington Transportation Department reported that at its worst, southbound Interstate 5 traffic from the north Seattle suburbs to downtown Seattle was backed up about 14 miles, with an estimated travel time of nearly two hours. A typical evening southbound I-5 commute from Everett to Seattle, a longer distance, usually takes 40 to 45 minutes.

This week’s viaduct work is part of a $3.1 billion project to replace the aging elevated section of Highway 99 with a tunnel under downtown Seattle.

The early opening should be good news for traffic for a University of Washington football game today at Husky Stadium and a Seahawks game Sunday at CenturyLink Field, which is adjacent to the viaduct.

A southbound viaduct ramp to the stadium won’t reopen until early Monday because of work, Phelps said.