From Sea-Tac Airport website (12/24/08): The Airport Parking Garage is currently full. Parking is also full in off-airport lots (map); even parkers with reservations are being turned away. If you have a reservation, call ahead to your lot.
(This worked well late late Monday night. Your mileage may vary).
Google map of the route.
- Chain up at home
- South on 23rd Avenue E. Slight but easy hill by Garfield. Route is bumpy packed ice. Continue south through CD.
- Over I-90 lid. Right at light onto S. Massachusetts Street, just after African-American Museum. Down icy slope.
- Right (north) onto Rainier Avenue.
- Left (west) onto S. Dearborn Street.
- Pull into Goodwill approach road to remove chains. Empty, icy well lit area.
- Back onto Dearborn (going west) under I-5. Go (sadly) past Uwajimaya.
- Left onto 4th Ave. S, past Seahawks Stadium
- Right onto well-marked I-90/I-5 entrance ramp. Stay in right lane for entrance ramp to I-5 South.
- Pick up your party at Sea-Tac. You should a) bring your own toilet paper b) admire the thousands of unclaimed bags.
- Return north on I-5. Take Madison/Dearborn/I-90 exit off I-5 and follow signs to Dearborn.
- Right (East) on Dearborn. Return to Goodwill parking lot to put on chains. It’s still well-lit.
- East on Dearborn, South on Rainier. East on Massachusetts (or continue to junction with 23rd and make illegal left turn. Nobody’s watching). North on 23rd (easy rise up to Capitol Hill).
If you’re starting on the west side of the hill, 12th (or Boren) to Rainier to Dearborn should do fine.
More of the same. Icy, slick, caution:
http://www.centraldistrictnews.com/2008/12/23/tuesday-commut
I don’t have a car, but I do have a flight tomorrow: anyone heard anything about the buses to the airport (194 or 174, I guess, assuming I can get downtown)?
And you should too. Madison => Pine => Freeway. Go a block past Boren to avoid the steep hill (although a lot of people are driving on it) you’re set.
I imagine the airport busses are doing pretty well – the freeway route is probably very clear.
Saw a note yesterday that the 174/194 buses were rapidly filling up with people/bags, so get on at Convention Station.
Oh, that’s a great point–thanks, Andrew!
Anyone know if getting onto I5 southbound from 10th ave e / roanoake entrance works?
I am on north capitol hill, and that my was my thinking to get to the airport. I’ll be leaving in about 90 minutes, so hopefully the hills haven’t frozen by then.
From the always reliable KH from Seattlest:
http://twitter.com/k_hack/statuses/1075150047
“yep, I-5 entrance from Roanoke works — traffic’s slow on 10th though.”
They were running Sunday with limited problems
why do you have to take the chains off? is it just because you won’t need them on the highway? because they are a hindrance on plowed roadway?
Good Question. Chains really need a soft surface under them to drive through, otherwise they make the car feel like their going to fall apart. Take your chains onto the highway and you’re limited to ~40mph (and the car feels like it’s going to fall apart). Also, they’re really not meant to spin very fast and eventually they’ll fall off. There are a bunch of chain sitting in the middle of the highway because of this.
Mostly agree with BenG, except I’d heard 30 mph. Saw one VERY slow car with chains on I-5 last night: crawling along with its flashers on.
Main danger of driving on dry pavement with chains is that one of the sections will wear thru/break in half: the severed ends will then flail away at the soft underbelly of your car – brakelines etc. Fortunately the noise/vibration makes high speed unlikely.
I’m supposed to fly back into Seattle tomorrow. Does anyone know if the cabs are running again? I hauled my luggage down to the bus tunnel and took the 174 (hurray for Metro!) down to SeaTac to catch my flight out. However I’d be hauling my bags uphill this time around, and I’d rather not if I don’t have to.