Viadoom: Big Friday night traffic backups

Published 4:58 pm Friday, October 28, 2011

SEATTLE — Sure, the Alaskan Way Viaduct in Seattle will reopen a day and a half early, ending the traffic congestion dubbed `Viadoom.’ But first, drivers faced a Friday evening rush hour bedeviled by heavy rain, heavy traffic volumes and, yes, Viadoom.

At 4 p.m., the Washington Transportatio

n Department advised that southbound Interstate 5 traffic from the north Seattle suburb of Mountlake Terrace to downtown Seattle was backed up about 14 miles, with an estimated travel time of more than 90 minutes. A longer evening southbound commute — from Everett to Seattle — typically takes 40 to 45 minutes.

I-5 and the viaduct are the two main north-south highways through Seattle.

Demolition and other work on the south part of the viaduct started last Friday evening. It’s now expected to reopen at mid-day Saturday, rather than early Monday.