The long-awaited “Viadoom” turned out to be a bit of a “Via…yawn.”
That is, at least for morning commuters. The evening commute appeared heavier than usual across the Puget Sound area.
The gridlock never materialized Monday morning as the estimated 110,000 commuters who usually use the currently closed Alaskan Way Viaduct either stayed home or found other ways to get to work.
The Washington State Department of Transportation reported mostly smooth traffic patterns throughout the area, with some heavier volume on Interstate-5, which was expected.
An 8 a.m. cruise southbound on Highway 99 found no traffic snarls. In fact, there were very few cars on the roadway. The traffic levels on Dexter Avenue North, Nickerson Street and 15th AvenueWest appeared normal as the commute came to a close.
“I noticed a larger than usual backup off of Aurora on the way to work this morning, but that was about it,” said Hugh Brannon, owner of Lyon’s Grocery Story at 2100 Dexter Ave. N. By 8:30 a.m. only light traffic was passing by the store.
Evening commuters weren't so lucky, with major back-ups reported as far away as state Route 405
Apparently, transportation experts had expected the lighter-than-usual traffic on the viaduct closure’s first commuting day. They say that because of all the pre-closing publicity, commuters knew to stay away from the area around the viaduct.
But the real test may be yet to come. They say traffic is expected to increase by Thursday, Oct. 27, when commuters begin to relax their guard and go back to old patterns once they realize that the traffic snarls aren’t as bad as advertised.
The demolition of the southern section of the viaduct is expected to be completed by Oct. 31. An alternative route in both directions is expected to be opened that day, allowing traffic to use the northern section of the viaduct and to connect with state Route 99 in SODO.
The one snag on the first day came when the alternative northbound route that curved near the viaduct was shut down for a few hours while crews demolished a section of the elevated roadway that was close to the road. Apparently debris from that section of the roadway was coming dangerously close to the alternative route. Travis Phelps, spokesman for the WSDOT said the work was slightly ahead of schedule.
For those searching for alternative routes, the Washington State Department of Transportation has webpages dedicated to helping you. Visit www.wsdot.wa.gov to find ideas for alternative routes and alternative modes of transportation.
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