Commute from Renton (Fairwood) to Downtown Bellevue? (Seattle, Kent: rentals, home)

[MoxieRx]

Hey all -

My husband and I currently live in West Seattle, but I will be starting a new job in Kent in July. We're planning on moving to the Renton area so that both of our commutes are a little better. My husband works in downtown Bellevue, and his current commute (~18 miles) usually take 40-50 minutes each way. We've seen a few rentals in the Fairwood area that we like, but I'm worried that if we move that far south that his commute won't be any better. I'm not as concerned about my commute because I'll likely be driving against traffic each way.

According to google maps, the drive from Fairwood to my husband's workplace is ~25 minutes (up to 35 minutes in traffic). Is this accurate? How bad is 405 really?

Thanks!

[MaikeerinWA]

405 northbound from Renton to Bellevue is pretty horrible during the morning commute. 35 minutes to Bellevue from Fairwood doesn't seem at all realistic to me. Depending on where in Fairwood your rental is and what time your husband drives to work, he can expect traffic and perhaps 12-15 minutes just getting to I-405, via WA-169 (Maple Valley Highway).

Originally Posted by MoxieRx

Hey all -

My husband and I currently live in West Seattle, but I will be starting a new job in Kent in July. We're planning on moving to the Renton area so that both of our commutes are a little better. My husband works in downtown Bellevue, and his current commute (~18 miles) usually take 40-50 minutes each way. We've seen a few rentals in the Fairwood area that we like, but I'm worried that if we move that far south that his commute won't be any better. I'm not as concerned about my commute because I'll likely be driving against traffic each way.

According to google maps, the drive from Fairwood to my husband's workplace is ~25 minutes (up to 35 minutes in traffic). Is this accurate? How bad is 405 really?

Thanks!

[Hemlock140]

The 405 commute is the worst, and 167 a close second.

An alternative to try is Duvall Ave (Renton) to Coal Creek into Bellevue
by Factoria. That used to be closed for construction but I though they opened it again. Unless others are using it now, it will be more miles but
faster than the freeway. The other way is 900 through Issaquah to I90 to Bellevue.

That's just not a good combination of cities to be working in for an easy commute.

[Xanathos]

Look into Kennydale. You can get to Kent in relatively short order there (15 minutes or so), and the trek to downtown Bellevue shouldn't take more than 15-20 minutes, even with the ridiculous traffic.

[Ira500]

Originally Posted by Xanathos

Look into Kennydale. You can get to Kent in relatively short order there (15 minutes or so), and the trek to downtown Bellevue shouldn't take more than 15-20 minutes, even with the ridiculous traffic.

Good suggestion, Xanathos. Another advantage of Kennydale is the easy access to Lake Washington Boulevard, a non freeway alternative of getting into Bellevue

[drewba]

I currently live in Fairwood and commute to downtown Bellevue. It's usually by bus (Sound Transit 566), but I end up driving once or twice per week.

I'd say that the driving time is highly variable depending on weather conditions and time of day. On a non-rainy day where I leave by 6:30, 35 minutes sounds realistic. However, a rainy day or leaving closer to 7:00 can easily push the commute to 45 minutes or longer. Maple Valley Highway can back up 1/2 mile or more from the freeway and then 405 can be stop and go traffic all the way up to Newcastle.

Coming home in the evening is always worse, almost entirely due to 405. An average drive home is 45-50 minutes, regardless of when I leave the office.

Personally, I'd look for other options in the Kennydale area of Renton or Newcastle if possible.