On a Friday morning, what's the best route to go south through (or around)Portland? I5? I205? Something else?

 

What time of day? From around 9:00AM through about 3:00PM just stay on I-5.

There is no easy route through earlier than 8:30AM given rush hour going into Portland from Vancouver and after about 3:00PM on a Friday almost every direction coming out of Portland will suck.

 

I'm probably screwed no matter what. If I leave a little later, I have to go through Tacoma and Olympia with bad traffic. If I leave a little earlier, I have to go through Portland with bad traffic.

So 9am, stay on I5. What if it's 8am?

 

From what I hear, I would say I5 either way. But I dont have any personal eperience with either at that time of day...

 

At 8:00AM the 2 bridges going over the Columbia will pretty much be a parking lot, but it really isn't as bad as trying to get from Seattle to Tacoma at around 5:00PM for what it's worth.

The worst traffic across the Columbia bridges is from about 6:45 through just after 8:00. It tapers off quite a bit after 8:00 and moves reasonably well by 9:00.

 

Hmm. Maybe I'll stop in Woodland for a snack or something if I'm early. Oh well.

 

Hi Mike,

PDX traffic is so mild by comparison to what you're used to that I wouldn't worry about it much. Won't cost you THAT much time, I'd think, but then others would know better than I, as I don't commute.

CB