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If you're doing the counter commute, Kirkland->Seattle Business District in the morning, 520 is a great option. Most people have abandoned it due to the toll, b

by RyJones 11y ago

If you're doing the counter commute, Kirkland->Seattle Business District in the morning, 520 is a great option. Most people have abandoned it due to the toll, but the only area where things get sticky is the merge from 405->520 where you need to merge left twice in short order and then merge left again directly after the Burgermaster exit. The merge across I5 to the Union exit is annoying since the backup for the Mercer exit (and people that never realized the needed to take Mercer) extends almost to 520, but if you wait in the third lane from left until you pass Mercer, you can usually merge gracefully right and take Union. The return commute is only screwy when there's a big con - SakuraCon for example. I did take Mercer for the three months I worked at Lab 126 in Fiona, but I assume it's better now that construction is over. It was much worse.

rconti 11y ago
Counter-commute? or reverse commute? Shouldn't Kirkland->Seattle still be the 'normal' commute direction?
- RyJones 11y ago
  I apologize, I missed your comment earlier. In my experience (before the tolls were in place on 520 to mess with things), the morning commute was heavy from Seattle->Microsoft exit. There was a lot less traffic going from Kirkland->Seattle. Once the tolls were in place, people went to the I90 bridge and amplified this. Over the several years I was driving in every day, backups on 520 from Seattle->eastside in the morning seemed to be an every day thing; on the commute home, the worst part was the 5 north -> 520 merge. Everyone going south on 5 wants to take the university exit, so they're all stopping in the left lane trying to merge in, while everyone from 5 north wants to get on the bridge and wants to merge into the left hand lane. Once you got past that little knot, it was usually clear sailing until you got on 405. I could see everyone sitting on 520 westbound waiting for the neck down from three to two lanes before speed picked up.

by RyJones 11y ago

rconti 11y ago

Counter-commute? or reverse commute? Shouldn't Kirkland->Seattle still be the 'normal' commute direction?

RyJones 11y ago
I apologize, I missed your comment earlier. In my experience (before the tolls were in place on 520 to mess with things), the morning commute was heavy from Seattle->Microsoft exit. There was a lot less traffic going from Kirkland->Seattle. Once the tolls were in place, people went to the I90 bridge and amplified this. Over the several years I was driving in every day, backups on 520 from Seattle->eastside in the morning seemed to be an every day thing; on the commute home, the worst part was the 5 north -> 520 merge. Everyone going south on 5 wants to take the university exit, so they're all stopping in the left lane trying to merge in, while everyone from 5 north wants to get on the bridge and wants to merge into the left hand lane. Once you got past that little knot, it was usually clear sailing until you got on 405. I could see everyone sitting on 520 westbound waiting for the neck down from three to two lanes before speed picked up.