SEATAC, Wash. — People picking up family members from SeaTac Airport were stuck in gridlock as they tried to leave the new cellphone lot Tuesday and Wednesday nights.
There is only one entrance and one exit, followed by a traffic signal at which cars need to make a left turn in order to go to the airport terminal. The wait for the left turn caused backup into the lot itself.
One woman, who said she had been stuck there for an hour Wednesday night, said she was “calling the Port of Seattle. They don’t answer. I let them know they have a serious issue back here; this should be fixed. They need someone directing traffic. There’s no excuse for this.”
Drivers Tuesday night took to Twitter, even posting a picture of the gridlock.
Perry Cooper, a Port of Seattle spokesperson, told us police ended up directing traffic Tuesday night.
Wednesday afternoon Port of Seattle police told KIRO 7 they are monitoring the situation in case they need to manually change the traffic signals to allow better traffic flow.
“We’re working with the city of SeaTac to look at the traffic management for that corner as well, too,” Cooper said.
KIRO 7 asked if there could have been multiple entrances and exits designed for the lot, which opened in June.
“Well if you look at the traffic patterns and the lights there, there isn’t another space to do it,” Cooper said.
Cooper suggested that for those trying to pick up passengers for the holidays, ask to meet your relatives on the upper floor, usually used for departures, instead of crowding onto the lower arrivals floor.
KIRO
