from Mill Creek to Seattle - commute (Everett, Edmonds: house, neighborhoods)

[Lipton2]

Hi everyone! Just wanted to know what the commute is like from downtown Seattle area to Mill Creek during rush hours.
How long does it take to drive from one to the other during a rush hour?
Is there any public transportation between these two areas?
What is the best way to get from Mill Creek to Seattle?

Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

[the dufferz]

Rush hour. Downtown to Mill creek expect about on hour depending on the day (fridays really bad) and where in Mill Creek you live (lots of traffic lights between I-5 and Mill Creek)

Expect bumper to bumper for about 90% of the time you are on I-5.

The best way to get from Seattle to Mill Creek is I-5 North past lynnwood, take the 160th ST exit, go east. This takes you to the intersection of 160th and Bothell Everett Hwy. This is the edge of Mill Creek.

Public transportation is city bus, the problem is you are crossing over two counties. There is a Park and ride at 160th.

[psprague]

When I stay in the Seattle area, I commute from West Seattle to Canyon Park/Mill Creek (usually a couple of times per week)

Going out of Seattle in the morning and back into in the evening is a reverse commute and its as bad as the opposite directions. I almost always go I-5 to 405 and avoid the bridges (unless I need to stay on the east side for some reason).

Not to say it can't be ugly, one day last week it took almost 2 hours to get from Canyon Park to West Seattle.

[the dufferz]

Yuck,

The extra distance to West Seattle makes it so much worse.

[wamommy]

IT"S AWFUL!

It's takes a minimum of an hour no matter what unless you leave the office @ 3. But even then you never know. If you leve the house by 5 am in the morning it only takes 45 minutes to get to downtown, lately the reader board around peak commuting time has been 75 mins GOOD LUCK

[hinsey86]

I live in Mill Creek and commute to Seattle daily. An average would probably be 50-60 minutes. I leave at 8am from Mill Creek and 5:15 from work so that is probably the peek times. It can vary though and thank goodness I have leeway with my job. I go I-5 99.9% of the time. I have gone hwy 99 at times with about the same time frame.
There is a park and ride in Mill Creek but the bus destinations don't work for me.

[anyone101]

I live in Seattle and used to commute up to Mill Creek for work so it's the reverse. Having to live on Capitol Hill parking would be a hassle coming back from work so I opted to use the bus whenever I can. Therefore, if you work in downtown Seattle or the University district Community Transit & Sound transit do run direct buses into downtown Seattle.

Depending on where in Mill Creek you live there are actually five park & rides (maybe more at some of the church parking lots).

1. Canyon Park located on the south end approximately where Everett-Bothell Hwy (WA-527) crosses over the I-405

*2. Ash Way P&R. It's off of 164th St SW. You go up the hill from Everett-Bothell Hwy and past the freeway and take the first right on Ash Way.

3. Swamp Creek which is further up on 164th past Ashway.

4. Mariner P&R on 4th Ave W & 128th St SW behind Denny's w. of I-5

5. McCollum Park east of I-5 along 128th St SW

From each of these Park & Rides, Community Transit runs an express bus that goes from the P&R into the freeway and into downtown Seattle or the University District. From these park & rides they also run local buses connect to each other and to Mill Creek. In other words it's all doable

From Mill Creek you can also take buses from the local neighborhoods to downtown Seattle in the morning and comeback from Seattle in the eveneings.
435-30th Dr & 168th SE at Mays Pond to Canyon Pk to downtown Seattle
412-138th Pl & Sno-Cascade Dr on Siliver Firs to McCollum P&R to Seattle
414-Starts at McCollum Park to Mariner P&R to Ash Way to Mt Lake Terrace P&R and to Seattle.

They also overlapped some of the local routes so in a way you can also like take the 114, 115, or 116 to Edmonds, getting off at Ash Way, and catch other commuter or sound transit routes to Settle if the above schedules don't work for you.

The Sound Transit routes run both directions all day and on weekends which are:
511 Ash Way-Seattle

There are more of others starting specifically from the other park & rides but the one I listed above are closer to Mill Creek specifically. Look on
http://www.commtrans.org/?mc=Ridingt...cat=2&view=com
http://www.soundtransit.org

Yes you can drive and it may be good if you're "reverse" commuting meaning going up to Mill Creek in the mornings and coming back to Seattle in the evening. It's quicker but having to time myself it actually took me 1hr10min to take the bus to work (180th & Everett Bothell Hwy) and about :40min to drive so there's :20-:30 min. savings in time. But, coming to Seattle in the morning once you get to Lynnwood, traffic usually comes to a stall and once again past Northgate to the ship canal bridge. If you work downtown or anywhere nearby then you end up losing time trying to find a place to park not to mention pay extra to park (about $80-110mo) and traffic in & around down sucks too. So is it really convenient if you factor those things in?

[chickbiker]

I believe I've seen bike cages for bicycles there at the park n ride just off 405NB side. Can anyone tell me abou those? do you pay to use them? do they have a lock or do we supply our own locks? do other park n rides offer these bicycle cages?

thank you....