If you drive from Everett to Seattle during the morning rush hour, on average, you could watch an entire movie in the time it takes to make your daily commute.
A new report by the Washington State Department of Transportation shows that in 2016, drivers in the Puget Sound are spending more time in their cars during commute hours than ever before.
For example, rush hour on I-5 from Everett to Seattle took 94 minutes in the morning – that’s nine more minutes than in 2014. Evening commute times were about 20 minutes less.
Another major route in the study was I-90 from Bellevue to downtown Seattle. That took about 35 minutes during the morning commute, up 10 minutes from 2 years before
From Issaquah, the commute is 51 minutes in the morning and 33 minutes on the way back.
Those who travel daily from Tukwila to Bellevue on I-405 have an average drive time of about an hour – 8 minutes longer than two years ago. But on public transit, the trip takes 34 minutes.
Meanwhile, pricey tolls are paying off for people in a hurry on I-405 between Bellevue and Lynnwood.
Express toll lanes save drivers 11 to 14 minutes during peak periods.
Work on new I-405 toll lanes between Renton and Bellevue is set to start in 2019 and finish in 2024.
As to why there is more congestion, the obvious answer may be that there are more drivers on the roads, but there appears to be other factors as well, including the change in gas prices.
From 2012 to 2016, gas prices in Washington fell $1.54.
Ferry ridership is also up 4 percent over the last two years. Amtrak ridership is up nearly 5 percent.
Read WSDOT's full 60-page report at this link. [PDF]