How bad is Bothell commute to seattle vs rest of Eastside? (Bellevue: houses, transfer)

[Seattler123]

Hi all,

We are considering buying in Bothell near exit 24. I work in Seattle downtown, spouse works in Redmond.
How bad is the traffic situation, compared to other locations?
We've heard about how bad the traffic from Bothell to Seattle/Redmond is, but is it really that bad even from near exit 24?
Based on Google maps timings, some of the other locations we've considered seem to be equally bad.

Redmond - Depending on location, it might take 30-50 mins to Seattle as lot of Redmond is away from highways.
Sammamish - Again, away from highway, so Seattle commute times are high.
Issaquah - Distance wise similar to Bothell, but just looking at the map, it seems like from Bothell to Seattle, you have two options - I405 and I5 or I405 and 520.
Kenmore - Some locations in Kenmore are better distance wise, but due to distance from highways, it seems to take about the same time.
Ballard - It takes about 20 mins to Seattle atleast and commute to Redmond will be lot longer.

Are any of the above locations better for our situation? Price-wise Bothell is much better than these locations.

Our criteria is good school district, not more than 10-15 year old SFH, with a community like feel(no 1 acre lots) - parks nearby, not too far from restaurant/stores (within few miles is fine - not looking for restaurants at walking distance)

Kirkland is definitely a better location, but expensive. So is Bellevue.

Thanks

[Blondebaerde]

Originally Posted by Seattler123

Hi all,

We are considering buying in Bothell near exit 24. I work in Seattle downtown, spouse works in Redmond.
How bad is the traffic situation, compared to other locations?
We've heard about how bad the traffic from Bothell to Seattle/Redmond is, but is it really that bad even from near exit 24?

Kirkland is definitely a better location, but expensive. So is Bellevue.

Thanks

Of course it's bad...it's a major pain getting downtown from there by SOV and I'd personally not try it under any circumstances during commute hours. But oh wait: the 522 bus from the Beardslee transit center/bus station, near Exit 24 off I-405, to some arbitrary point downtown...University Station...is listed as 53 minutes. You won't top that outside of a transit van, if-that.

Another problem solved via Google Maps.

Same commute via Kirkland Transit Center is basically the same, via bus, to the minute. Ask me how I know. So much for "expensive."

Driving downtown is just stupid anymore, unfortunately.

[Seattler123]

Originally Posted by Blondebaerde

Of course it's bad...it's a major pain getting downtown from there by SOV and I'd personally not try it under any circumstances during commute hours. But oh wait: the 522 bus from the Beardslee transit center/bus station, near Exit 24 off I-405, to some arbitrary point downtown...University Station...is listed as 53 minutes. You won't top that outside of a transit van, if-that.

Another problem solved via Google Maps.

Same commute via Kirkland Transit Center is basically the same, via bus, to the minute. Ask me how I know. So much for "expensive."

Driving downtown is just stupid anymore, unfortunately.

Thanks for the reply.
I guess the traffic situation is pretty bad in Seattle, so I was more looking for relative commute times vs other locations. There are lot of threads about traffic from Bothell being bad, but is it too much worse than some other locations?
Yes, we would try to use public transport/office shuttles/vanpool as much as possible.

[Seacove]

I think exit 24 (Northcreek) is better than Canyon Park (exit 26). That two mile section of 405 is pretty brutal. Basically the further south you go, the better it is. Or go north to Lynnwood and have easy access to 5 and 405. But then lose the Northshore school district nsd.org.

[CrazyDonkey]

Originally Posted by Seattler123

Thanks for the reply.
I guess the traffic situation is pretty bad in Seattle, so I was more looking for relative commute times vs other locations. There are lot of threads about traffic from Bothell being bad, but is it too much worse than some other locations?
Yes, we would try to use public transport/office shuttles/vanpool as much as possible.

The problem with Kenmore, Bothell, and Woodinville is that they are a long way from the I-5 Express Lanes, with 522/Lake City Way, 523/145th, and Northgate Way all bottlenecked during commute hours. Transit benefits from BAT (Bus Access & Transit) Lanes along many major thoroughfares and arterials.

Shoreline, Edmonds, and Lynnwood benefit from being much closer to I-5 and 99.

[homesinseattle]

Hi Seattler! Have you considered Lake Forest Park or Mountlake Terrace? They would roughly split the commute time evenly for you two, be in your price range and allow you both to avoid bridges. South Bellevue (Factoria, Newport Hills) would work too, but may be a little more expensive than where you are looking in Bothell.

[lualei]

Originally Posted by Seattler123

Hi all,

We are considering buying in Bothell near exit 24. I work in Seattle downtown, spouse works in Redmond.
How bad is the traffic situation, compared to other locations?
We've heard about how bad the traffic from Bothell to Seattle/Redmond is, but is it really that bad even from near exit 24?
Based on Google maps timings, some of the other locations we've considered seem to be equally bad.

Redmond - Depending on location, it might take 30-50 mins to Seattle as lot of Redmond is away from highways.
Sammamish - Again, away from highway, so Seattle commute times are high.
Issaquah - Distance wise similar to Bothell, but just looking at the map, it seems like from Bothell to Seattle, you have two options - I405 and I5 or I405 and 520.
Kenmore - Some locations in Kenmore are better distance wise, but due to distance from highways, it seems to take about the same time.
Ballard - It takes about 20 mins to Seattle atleast and commute to Redmond will be lot longer.

Are any of the above locations better for our situation? Price-wise Bothell is much better than these locations.

Our criteria is good school district, not more than 10-15 year old SFH, with a community like feel(no 1 acre lots) - parks nearby, not too far from restaurant/stores (within few miles is fine - not looking for restaurants at walking distance)

Kirkland is definitely a better location, but expensive. So is Bellevue.

Thanks

It depends what time you're leaving and where exactly you are. I'm at exit 22. If I need to go to downtown, I take the back roads in Kenmore and go over the top of the lake to 522 and then to I5, because I don't want to pay the toll, and because I want to avoid 405. It takes 40-45 minutes. In the evening, it's an hour and a half commute if I leave anytime between 4 and 6:30 pm. From 6:30 pm onwards, traffic seems to die down. I can't comment on the Redmond commute.

At 24, you will be much better than at 26.

Bothell will appreciate much more than Issaquah IMO, partly due to Issaquah being set at a higher price point currently, and Bothell having such good schools and being relatively close to Seattle and Eastside job centers. Kenmore will take some time to appreciate but due to its location, it will as well. Issaquah is nice and has a good school district - all these places do (although I can't speak to Ballard's). Issaquah is a straight shot into Seattle, but the houses are very close together, at least in the highlands. Ballard has traffic and is a pain to get in and out of - I'd avoid living there due to the traffic alone (personal choice), although it has a lot of fun restaurants and I love to go there to visit. I agree with you on Kirkland, but look at places in Finn Hill and Rose Hill and even Kingsgate and Totem Lake neighborhoods in Kirkland - there's a new shopping center going up in Totem Lake with a Whole Foods and a bunch of other things. These areas of Kirkland tend to be priced better and the Lake WA School District is good.

[CrazyDonkey]

Consider NE Seattle:

1. Drive to Northgate Park 'n Ride.

2. You catch #41 to Downtown (20 minutes). She catches ST 555 to Montlake and transfers to ST 545 to Redmond (55 minutes). Note: Light rail will be running from Northgate in 2021 to Downtown, to Bellevue and Overlake in 2023, and to Redmond in 2024, which should shorten your commute some and hers a lot.

3. On return commute, you'll need to wait for her. Drive home together.

[Botev1912]

Just take the bus and don't worry about the traffic. Cars should be completely prohibited in downtown areas.