WSDOT has some suggestions for Memorial Weekend travel
Most highway work suspended Friday through Tuesday.
OLYMPIA – Memorial Day weekend often signals the unofficial start of summer – and a significant increase in travel across Washington. To help people plan ahead, the Washington State Department of Transportation has released holiday travel charts showing the best and worst times to travel on major corridors statewide.
The charts include key routes such as Interstate 5, I-90, US 2 and the I-5/Canada border crossing, where congestion is expected to be heaviest during peak travel periods. Travelers are encouraged to review the charts and build extra time into their trips.
Holiday weekends typically bring increased traffic across all modes of transportation, including highways, ferries, airports and popular pedestrian areas. Travelers should be prepared for delays, remain patient and stay alert behind the wheel.
WSDOT offers online traveler information for traffic, weather, ferry schedules and a real-time travel map. The department also advises travelers to have a “backup plan” if they’re going to outdoor destinations, including parks and other recreation sites, which tend to fill up quickly during holidays.
For those traveling on Interstate 90 between Grant and Kittitas counties, WSDOT says all lanes of the Vantage Bridge will be open Friday, May 22 through Tuesday, May 26 to accommodate increased travel. The work project is part of a long-term effort to replace the deteriorating bridge deck with construction completion expected by fall 2028.
Elsewhere around the state, most highway construction is also suspended through the holiday weekend to ease congestion. However, travelers should stay alert for lane shifts or work zone staging that remains in place.
Those traveling on I-90 at Snoqualmie Pass can expect the usual holiday increase in traffic and resultant delays, especially eastbound on Friday and westbound on Monday.
State Route 410/Chinook Pass and SR 123/Cayuse Pass are scheduled to reopen Friday morning, May 22. Check the National Park Service’s road status webpage for updates. Both passes close every winter due to avalanche danger.
SR 20/North Cascades Highway continues to be partially open following extensive damage to the west side of the pass during the historic December storms. SR 20 is open from the east side to Porcupine Creek (milepost 156) but is closed to all public access – including cyclists, hikers and other recreators – between mileposts 130-156 while repairs are underway. WSDOT’s goal is to reopen the remaining section of SR 20 by the Fourth of July.
