Spent Labor Day weekend home? You weren’t the only one

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September 8, 2009 4:57 pm

It could have been the rain, wind, economy or school calendar. Whatever the reason, the result was clear. There were fewer vehicles on the road in most places for Labor Day 2009.

WSDOT collects and provides data on its Web site on routes that typically see an increase in travel over holiday weekends to help drivers have the information they need to know before they go on holiday trips.

On I-90 across Snoqualmie Pass, WSDOT counted nearly 187,000 vehicles during the Labor Day weekend, a 9-percent decrease from Labor Day 2008.

Most areas in Washington showed a similar decrease, with traffic on US 2 over Stevens Pass even lower, with 29,900 vehicles on US 2 over Stevens Pass from Friday through Monday. That’s down 6,500 vehicles (or 22 percent) from 2008.

Traffic on I-5 near the U.S./Canadian border showed a small increase from 2008. WSDOT counted 129,700 vehicles on this stretch of highway from Friday through Monday, an increase of 3,400 vehicles (or 3 percent) from Labor Day weekend 2008.

Labor Day Weekend Travel Recap 2009

I-90 over Snoqualmie Pass

187,000 vehicles traveled both directions of Snoqualmie Pass between Friday and Monday 2009, a decrease of 18,000 vehicles (9 percent) compared with 2008.

Other comparisons with 2008 include:

• 53,700 traveled Friday, with 2,200 (4 percent) fewer vehicle. Much of the decrease came in the westbound direction.

• 42,200 traveled Saturday, with 5,000 (or 11 percent) fewer vehicles.

• 42,000 traveled Sunday, with 5,800 (or 12 percent) fewer vehicle.

• 48,800 traveled Monday, with 5,300 (or 10 percent) fewer vehicles. The data also noted a large drop after 7 p.m., when compared with 2008.

I-5, Bellingham to U.S./Canadian border

129,700 vehicles traveled both directions of I-5 near Bellingham between Friday and Monday 2009, an increase of 3,400 vehicles (3 percent) compared with 2008. Other comparisons with 2008 include:

• 36,300 traveled Friday, with 580 (2 percent) more vehicles.

• 32,600 traveled Saturday, with 440 (1 percent) more vehicles.

• 31,400 traveled Sunday, with 1,000 (3 percent) more vehicles.

• 29,300 traveled Monday, with 1,300 (4 percent) more vehicles.

I-5, Olympia to Chehalis (Thurston/Lewis county line)

258,000 vehicles traveled both directions of I-5 near the Thurston/Lewis county line between Friday and Monday, a decrease of 14,000 vehicles (6 percent) compared with 2008. Other comparisons with 2008 include:

• 76,700 vehicle traveled Friday, with 880 (or 1 percent) fewer vehicles.

• 63,300 vehicle traveled Saturday, with 5,600 (or 9 percent) fewer vehicles.

• 56,100 vehicle traveled Sunday, with 5,400 (or 10 percent) fewer vehicles.

• 61,900 vehicle traveled Monday, with 2,400 (or 4 percent) fewer vehicles.

U.S. 2, Stevens Pass

29,900 vehicles traveled over U.S. 2 Stevens Pass between Friday and Monday, a decrease of 6,500 vehicles (or 22 percent) compared with 2008. Other comparisons with 2008 include:

• 8,100 vehicle traveled Friday, with 800 (or 10 percent) fewer vehicles.

• 7,000 vehicle traveled Saturday, with 1,700 (or 25 percent) fewer vehicles.

• 6,900 vehicle traveled Sunday, with 2,000 (or 28 percent) fewer vehicles.

• 7,900 vehicle traveled Monday, with 2,000 (or 25 percent) fewer vehicles.

You can find many other ways to know before you go 24 hours a day, seven days a week on the WSDOT Web site www.wsdot.wa.gov and WSDOT’s traveler information line, 511.