Commuting from Oak Harbor to Mount Vernon (Burlington, Stanwood: living, restaurant)

[wolfdog]

Peace, bro?? LOL Whatever, bro.
Look, let's leave whatever definition for 'doable' out of this. There are literally hundreds who commute back and forth Oak Harbor/Anacortes, every day. I know dozens of them, and they say, almost to the person, it's getting worse. Mostly military and Island hospital commuters. And there is a new squadron moving in, to add to the congestion.
Yes, once you get going east on 20, at the Swinomish golf course, it flows pretty well to Burlington, though the drivers tend to be aggressive. But then, you have to figure what part of Mt Vernon OP is commuting from, and what part of Oak Harbor, which will both certainly add time.
45 minutes is the absolute best time, early morning/late evening. Other times, just don't even consider it.
I think the OP has enough to go on, now. I'm out.

[ScottStielow]

Originally Posted by christianawoodcock

Hello!

I am looking to see if living in Oak Harbor and commuting to mount vernon for work is a good idea or not.
The zip code in oak harbor would be 98277 and the zip code in mount vernon would be 98233.
It shows about 45 minutes of travel.

I don’t know much about Deception Pass.

Some concerns I have is traffic, wind and general danger.

I have a Nissan Versa Note, which is a pretty light car. I do have all season tires, that are new and would be able to get any kind of necessary equipment for my car if needed.

How dangerous is the wind? How bad can the traffic get and if so, how often?
I’ve never lived in Washington & I am moving from Missouri.

Any advice or suggestions is greatly appreciated.

If I had a choice I would not travel daily from Oak harbor through Deception pass to Mount Vernon, and back. It will get to be a drag after a while, after the first Accident at the Pass and you are stuck for Hours. Seen it a few times in my life.

Best of luck in your choice.

[wolfdog]

Originally Posted by ScottStielow

If I had a choice I would not travel daily from Oak harbor through Deception pass to Mount Vernon, and back. It will get to be a drag after a while, after the first Accident at the Pass and you are stuck for Hours. Seen it a few times in my life.

Best of luck in your choice.

There is also the on-going bridge work to contend with.

[xPlorer48]

Originally Posted by wolfdog

Really? I live in Oak Harbor, and couldn't imagine making that commute. Pretty? OK, I'll give you that. The whole area is pretty. Windy? Oh, Yes. Can definitely be an issue, especially with a light-weight car. Speeders and tail-gaters. Pretty much two-lane, until you get off both islands.

OP: Look at Anacortes/Mt Vernon

I agree. Grandparents lived near Coupeville so we made that drive for decades only to Bellingham. Lots of 2 lane winding roads, spurts of heavy anxious to get home/somewhere traffic due to Anacortes ferry and refinery employee traffic (which worsens during shutdowns). It is a pretty drive and when you access Hwy 20, you are on 4 lane with limited access (no on/off ramps but traffic signals). I wouldn’t do it.

[rkcarguy]

My fiance has a very similar Versa. The winds on this drive will not blow your car off the road but some spots will be white knuckle for sure. They are a "skinny" car and don't like sidewinds.
I have made that drive many times during tourist season and it's not one I'd want to do every day for work. It was a big relief when Hwy 20 was widened to 4 lanes, however so many of the traffic lights are badly timed you'll often stop at more of them than not (to let ONE car cross the highway nonetheless) and it really adds time to the drive. The rest of the single lane road is a death trap, twisty and very accident prone, you'll wind up stacked up 30 cars deep behind a semi-truck with no where to pass for miles on end. This is the ONLY road in and out, so when something happens you are stuck.
Probably every 3rd time I was in that area, there was a serious accident on the way. First one was a big 1-ton crew cab truck and 5th wheel camping trailer blown off the road and down an embankment near Oak Harbor. Second was a truck/boat that T-boned another truck right in front of the Shrimp shack(whatever it's called now), sat for 4 hours in that as all 3 occupants in both vehicles died, the boat flew off the trailer and was in the middle of the road, and WSP closed the road to investigate. 3rd was a crash on the bridge in high winds, we had to actually turn around an go home for that one it was just backed up so far. Last time down, there was a multicar crash at the Hwy 20 Spur/Hwy 20 interchange near Anacortes that also involved a fatality.
The traffic will get very heavy during tourist season, as they travel to Anacortes (many call it can't-afford-us lol), as well as clear down to Ft. Casey in the Coupeville area for the Ferries.
I agree with others, look at Mt. Vernon, Anacortes, La-Conner, Sedro-Woolley, or even the Stanwood area.

[ScottStielow]

Originally Posted by wolfdog

There is also the on-going bridge work to contend with.

Good point. Did not know about the bridge work.

[rkcarguy]

Originally Posted by ScottStielow

Good point. Did not know about the bridge work.

Yes, the bridge is old, steel, and over salt-water. Work on it is more or less an ongoing thing in the battle against the elements. Its good to see it cared for though. If it was left to dilapidate until it needed replacement, it would be a disaster for the area.

[xPlorer48]

Originally Posted by rkcarguy

Yes, the bridge is old, steel, and over salt-water. Work on it is more or less an ongoing thing in the battle against the elements. Its good to see it cared for though. If it was left to dilapidate until it needed replacement, it would be a disaster for the area.

Yes, then, if you wanted off the island, you would have to drive to Clinton to take the ferry to Mukilteo. This is a round about way to head north. But, southbound is no problem.

I can remember when there was a drawbridge over the Swinomish Slough and highway 20 was two lanes.

[rkcarguy]

Originally Posted by xPlorer48

I can remember when there was a drawbridge over the Swinomish Slough and highway 20 was two lanes.

Before my time lol!
I miss that hole in the wall restaurant that used to be at the intersection of Hwy 20 and Avon-Allen Rd. There was nothing better after getting rained out of another camping trip than to roll in there in the morning for one of their huge omelets and a platter of hash browns.

[ScottStielow]

Originally Posted by rkcarguy

Before my time lol!
I miss that hole in the wall restaurant that used to be at the intersection of Hwy 20 and Avon-Allen Rd. There was nothing better after getting rained out of another camping trip than to roll in there in the morning for one of their huge omelets and a platter of hash browns.

That is a breakfast that will last you all day. Miss those types of restaurant runs on the weekends