Question about traffic on the westside/Washington County (Portland, Beaverton: house, moving)

[Deezus]

So I've been commuting from NE Portland to Intel in Hillsboro for the last few weeks--and there's something I'm noticed that makes me curious about the traffic patterns out in Washington County. When I commute in the morning from 405 to Hwy 26, the traffic going westbound usually is flowing fine around 8-8:30 am when I'm driving to work--and in the eastbound lane towards the Vista tunnel, there's usually a good line of slow moving traffic, sometimes backed up to 217--sometimes backed up further. Going to work usually takes me about 25-30 minutes.

However when I'm commuting home, the eastbound lanes on 26 from 217 to Vista Tunnel and downtown(or further west) are again backed up with slow bumper to bumper traffic--while the commute going west looks to be fine. It's bad enough that every alternate route east is also jammed with cars, including Cornell Road or through Beaverton--and this seems to last until well after 6:00 pm sometimes close to 7:00 on some days. It seems to take me an hour or more to get back home to Portland.

Is the reason that traffic is always worse on 26 going east because it's funnelling into downtown and the mass of north-south traffic on I-5 as well as the traffic on I-84? While going west you just funnel into the less populated regions of Washington County? You'd think that if there's bad traffic going east in the afternoon, likewise there'd be bad traffic going west in the morning---though maybe people are leaving during a more spread-out period in the morning while everyone tries to leave work at 5-6 pm in the afternoon?

Or do people just drive slower going east into the Vista Tunnel--especially where you have the three lanes with no lane changes permitted where the roads split to go to I-5 North/South and downtown?

I'm actually sitting at work writing this, because I don't feel like sitting in gridlock for the next hour to get home. Where's a good bar on the way back in Wasington County to get a drink for an hour or so?

[EnricoV]

The problem is, the majority of traffic is merging on to I-405 southbound. And that's only one lane. And I-405 is usually pretty busy, so merging is difficult. Add to that, a lot of the I-405 traffic is trying to merge over to the right lane to take the exit just past the merge. So you have everyone in the right lane trying to move to the left, and everyone in the left lane trying to merge to the right. And everyone wants to go first. If you're headed northbound on I-405, you usually have a clearer path, as fewer cars are headed that way. But there, you have to contend with everyone who wants to be in the faster lanes on Hwy 26, but then, at the last minute merge over into the slow right lanes, to head south on I-405.

[ksucher]

I think you answered your own question at least my take on it.

1. morning everyone is leaving at different times. Afternoon quitting time everyone is leaving at same time
2. 26 east is a lot going on at the tunnel so everyone slows. Freeways would be more "free" if there were no exists or merging.

[hamellr]

That whole 26/405/5 Interchange is a mess, I'd argue that it affects traffic throughout the entire area. I wish we could fix it, but with the hills right there I'm not sure of a good solution.

[HonuMan]

I recently got back from a trip to Seattle. It made me appreciate our Portland traffic. Ours can be bad , but Seattle's was BAD.

[Deezus]

Originally Posted by EnricoV

The problem is, the majority of traffic is merging on to I-405 southbound. And that's only one lane. And I-405 is usually pretty busy, so merging is difficult. Add to that, a lot of the I-405 traffic is trying to merge over to the right lane to take the exit just past the merge. So you have everyone in the right lane trying to move to the left, and everyone in the left lane trying to merge to the right. And everyone wants to go first. If you're headed northbound on I-405, you usually have a clearer path, as fewer cars are headed that way. But there, you have to contend with everyone who wants to be in the faster lanes on Hwy 26, but then, at the last minute merge over into the slow right lanes, to head south on I-405.

Originally Posted by ksucher

I think you answered your own question at least my take on it.

1. morning everyone is leaving at different times. Afternoon quitting time everyone is leaving at same time
2. 26 east is a lot going on at the tunnel so everyone slows. Freeways would be more "free" if there were no exists or merging.

Originally Posted by hamellr

That whole 26/405/5 Interchange is a mess, I'd argue that it affects traffic throughout the entire area. I wish we could fix it, but with the hills right there I'm not sure of a good solution.

Yeah, I suppose I already sort of knew most of the reason for the traffic--I was just curious if there was another explanation for why every that spot seems to be so bad both times of the day. It's just a bad chokepoint that even ends up congesting spots like Cornell Road.

Interestingly last week when the traffic was bad, I spent one day just driving up Cornelius Pass straight from Hillsboro where I work, hit Highway 30 and drove all the way around back down through NW Portland to 405 and got to my house in NE Portland a full 20 minutes faster than it would've taken to get back on 26.

Originally Posted by HonuMan

I recently got back from a trip to Seattle. It made me appreciate our Portland traffic. Ours can be bad , but Seattle's was BAD.

Seattle is pretty bad. I've driven through Seattle later at night on trips to Bellingham where even at 10:30 pm I ran into traffic. There's way too many bottlenecks with the bridges across the canals. Even when I used to drive up for the weekend--I'd sometimes get stuck in bumper to bumper traffic as far south as the Olympia area and sometimes even south of there.

[hamellr]

Originally Posted by Deezus

Interestingly last week when the traffic was bad, I spent one day just driving up Cornelius Pass straight from Hillsboro where I work, hit Highway 30 and drove all the way around back down through NW Portland to 405 and got to my house in NE Portland a full 20 minutes faster than it would've taken to get back on 26.

It can be faster, but can easily get clogged up badly too. Frequently by trucks going slow along Cornelius Pass.

[BrianneElyse]

Go to Wassabi for a drink!! It's an Asian fusion place but they have an awesome happy hour from 3pm-7pm. It's up in the Tanasborne area by the 26 on 188th in a little plaza.