Viaduct closure reminder

The Alaskan Way Viaduct Seattle will be closed Saturday and Sunday for inspection. There will be no allowed vehicle traffic from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. between South Spokane Street and the Battery Street Tunnel .

Of course this means more traffic congestion all around downtown and on all major north-south routes. “Drivers are advised to allow extra time for trips,” says the notice in the Seattle Times. [#]. Think of this as good practice for when it gets shut down for whatever they end up doing with it. And, hey, make a habit of leaving a little bit early when you know there’s the possibility of traffic delays and , uh, maybe you’ll actually be able to get where you want to go on time. (Call me a dreamer, but I like to imagine that if drivers developed some time management skills they’d stop trying to run me over because they’re in too much of a hurry to mind the rules of the road, specifically do not run over the pedestrian with the legal right of way. )

“Traffic conditions can be checked online at www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic. Drivers can also get traffic updates by calling the state driver-information line — 511.” Please don’t dial this call while you are driving.