Vancouver region Interstate 205 - Severe congestion
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Measures of severe congestion on the I-205 corridor in the Vancouver region
Severe congestion
Severe congestion occurs when highway travel speeds are slower than 60% of the posted speed (about 36 mph for a 60 mph speed limit). During this situation, vehicle speeds and spacing decrease along with reduced highway efficiency well below maximum productivity. See WSDOT's How to calculate Severe congestion (PDF 5.9MB).
Sources: WSDOT Transportation Safety and Systems Analysis Division and WSDOT TRACFLOW (https://tracflow.wsdot.wa.gov/)
Note: Source data collection devices were updated in 2017.
Multi-year trends
Severe congestion was lower in 2022 than in 2021 for three of the four monitored corridors.
In 2020, due to the statewide response to COVID-19, there was a significant decrease in severe congestion compared to previous years.
Between 2018 and 2019, northbound severe congestion on the I-205 corridor in the Vancouver region decreased but southbound morning commute severe congestion increased slightly.
Annual highlights
In 2022, severe congestion during the morning commute in the southbound direction decreased, and the northbound evening commute increased compared to 2021. Commuters driving northbound from the Glenn Jackson Bridge to the I-5 interchange on I-205 experienced less severe congestion (speeds of 36 mph or less). For example, at 3:50 p.m., speeds on this commute were below 36 mph on 5.8% of weekdays in 2022, which was a 10.3 percentage point decrease compared to 16.1% of weekdays in 2021. The southbound morning commute from the I-5 interchange to the Glenn Jackson Bridge experienced more severe congestion compared to 2021. For example, at 7:50 a.m., speeds on this commute were below 36 mph on 20.8% of weekdays in 2022, which was 14.6 percentage points more than 6.2% of weekdays in 2021.
In 2021, severe congestion during morning commute in the southbound direction decreased, and the northbound evening commute increased compared to 2020. Commuters driving northbound from Glenn Jackson Bridge to the I-5 interchange on I-205 experienced more severe congestion (speeds of 36 mph or less). For example, at 3:50 p.m., speeds on this commute were below 36 mph on 16.1% of weekdays in 2021, 10.4% increase compared to 5.7% of weekdays in 2020. The southbound morning commute from I-5 interchange to the Glenn Jackson Bridge experienced less severe congestion compared to 2020. For example, at 7:20 a.m., speeds on this commute were below 36 mph on 1.2% of weekdays in 2021, 10.3% less than 11.5% of weekdays in 2020.
In 2020, due to the statewide response to COVID-19, there was a significant decrease in severe congestion compared to previous years. Commuters driving northbound from the Glenn Jackson Bridge to the I-5 interchange on I-205 saw a significant decrease in severely congested conditions (speeds of 36 mph or less). For example, at 3:50 p.m., speeds on this commute were below 36 mph on 5.7% of weekdays in 2020, a decrease from 9.2% of weekdays in 2019.
In 2019, commuters driving northbound from the Glenn Jackson Bridge to the I-5 interchange on I-205 experienced severely congested conditions (speeds of 36 mph or less) much less than in 2018. For example, at 4:15 p.m., speeds on this commute were below 36 mph on 11.9% of weekdays in 2019, a decrease from 21.0% of weekdays in 2018.
In 2018, commuters driving northound from the Glenn Jackson Bridge to the I-5 interchange on I-205 experienced severely congested conditions (speeds of 36 mph or less) more often than in 2017. For example, at 4:20 p.m., speeds on this commute were below 36 mph on 23.8% of weekdays in 2018, an increase from 16.8% of weekdays in 2017. Commuters driving southbound on I-205 (from the I-5 interchange to the Glenn Jackson Bridge) encountered severely congested conditions less frequently in 2018 than the previous year.