The best and worst times to travel for Labor Day weekend

Avoid this with WSDOT Tools and Tips
Photo by Mike Remarcke

Labor Day weekend September 1 - 5 is one of the busiest travel times of the year, as everyone maximizes every day of vacation before it's time to get the kids back to school.

People planning their final festivities of summer before all things pumpkin spice and yellow school buses return should consult the Washington State Department of Transportation’s holiday traffic volume charts to determine best times to travel during the Labor Day weekend.

With the popular travel weekend fast approaching, now is the time to make plans for expected holiday congestion on most routes – whether by ferry, vehicle, bus, rail, foot, bicycle or plane. 

This year’s charts include US 2, Interstate 90 and I-5 between Lacey and Tacoma as well as Bellingham to the United States-Canada border.

Most construction will be paused over the three-day weekend to help reduce some congestion, but this is a popular travel weekend and WSDOT recommends people go early or late and give themselves plenty of extra time. Crashes or emergency road repairs also can add to travel times.

Travelers can “know before they go” and plan ahead by using WSDOT tools and tips, whether they’re traveling across town or across the Evergreen State.

Everything you need to know is here, in this comprehensive article from WSDOT

Use WSDOT tools and tips for smoother travel