Traffic Lab | The Seattle Times

The Magnolia Bridge is 89 years old and nearing the end of its useful life. But the city says it doesn’t have the money to replace the structure. This view looks west at the bridge and the Magnolia neighborhood from Queen Anne Hill. (Mike Siegel/The Seattle Times) — The Magnolia Bridge is 89 years old and nearing the end of its useful life. But the city says it doesn't have the money to replace the structure. This view looks west at the bridge and the Magnolia neighborhood from Queen Anne Hill. (Mike Siegel/The Seattle Times)

Seattle’s Magnolia Bridge is about worn out, but city says it can’t afford a replacement

Neighbors and drivers fear a traffic disaster because Seattle lacks money to replace the Magnolia Bridge, expected to wear out in the 2020s. VIEW

Don't Miss

(Illustration by Jennifer Luxton / The Seattle Times)

If you think Seattle traffic is bad now, just wait until these projects start

(This is for the Magazine) Looking north from atop an apartment building on W. Main St., the congested southbound Viaduct traffic drops down to the lower decking, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 2017, in Seattle.

What we love and hate about the Alaskan Way Viaduct VIEW

Transit riders wait for a Metro bus on Saturday, March 5, 2016, in Seattle’s International District transit tunnel station. According to U.S. Census data, 50% of International District residents commute by bus, the highest percentage of any neighborhood in King County.

For thousands, light rail could be the only way through downtown Seattle next year

LINK LIGHT RAIL — SEATAC/AIRPORT STATION — 12112009 — 99999

The link light rail Seatac/Airport station opens December 19. The station provides a direct pedestrian connection to the airport terminal–about 1,000 feet or a four-minute walk away. Mt. Rainier looms in the background at dusk, one recent evening.

Transit tourism: Explore Seattle by Link light rail

Transit

Amazon interns (with black backpacks) and others board the #70 bus at the UW bus transfer station — NE Campus Parkway between 12th Av NE — Wednesday morning, June 21, 2017, and head downtown.
Amazon has 900 summer interns staying in dorms at the UW. They’re getting onto #70 Metro buses in the mornings, which has caused big overcrowding and now Metro is adding buses to the route (which heads straight from the UW down Eastlake to South Lake Union).

It’s Amazon intern season again and Metro is adding buses to handle them

About Traffic Lab

Traffic Lab is a Seattle Times project that digs into the region’s thorny transportation issues, spotlights promising approaches to easing gridlock, and helps readers find the best ways to get around. It is funded with the help of community sponsors Alaska Airlines, CenturyLink, Kemper Development Co., PEMCO Mutual Insurance Company, Sabey Corp., Seattle Children’s hospital and Ste. Michelle Wine Estates. Seattle Times editors and reporters operate independently of our funders and maintain editorial control over Traffic Lab content.

Roads

Spokane Street Bridge closes for emergency repairs

The bridge will be closed for at least a week, as crews repair a hydraulic fluid leak.

Getting Around

Traffic data and navigation company INRIX reports that Everett has the nation’s worst traffic congestion. These commuters crawl along northbound Interstate 5 through downtown Everett toward the Marine View Drive exit on February 2, 2018.

Do you have a long, difficult commute in the Seattle region? Tell us about it

Technology

A Thor Trucks electric semi in Los Angeles, May 15, 2018. Low-speed torque and whisper-quiet operation make electric vehicles an attractive alternative for commercial uses, and the incognito answer to Teslas and Bolts. (Rozette Rago/The New York Times)