Brace yourselves, Seattle commuters: President Joe Biden is hitting the city later this week and with him comes a tidal wave of traffic woes. According to a travel advisory released by the Seattle Department of Transportation, significant delays, detours, and general transportation tumult are expected throughout the greater Seattle area.
So if you're planning to traverse the bustling city streets, you might want to to quickly adjust your schedules. The President's route is hush-hush, but that doesn't mean you can't strategize; the SDOT implores residents to "give yourself plenty of extra travel time." With streets and freeways subject to intermittent closures thanks to the U.S. Secret Service flexing its security muscles, patience isn't just a virtue—it's a necessity.
Got a case of the bus blues? King County Metro’s service advisories are there to ease the pain, divulging the latest on bus re-routes and the transit drama that's to come. King County Metro suggests to "sign up for transit alerts" if you're a regular rider, ensuring you're up to speed on any changes to your daily commute.
Sure, driving in Seattle traffic can often feel like navigating through an obstacle course, but rest assured, the SDOT's engineers are ready to do some behind-the-scenes magic. They're all set to adjust traffic signal timing to keep things moving as smoothly as possible—if you can call bumper-to-bumper 'smoothly.' If you’re aiming to avoid the automotive anarchy, consider biking or public transit, despite the possibility they may also be snagged by the temporary upheaval.
If you want to skirt the presidential gridlock, updates will be posted on dynamic message signs, and locals are urged to "check media reports and the websites of local jurisdictions and transit agencies before you leave."
