It's also going to take innovative ideas. That's why we're intrigued by some of the things state transportation officials are looking at to handle traffic on Interstate 405. Another idea is to use tunneling to take some new freeway lanes under current ones. Both have the advantage of moving more vehicles in essentially the same space. Our freeway and highway systems here certainly need help.
Backups there can begin a half-mile or more before the intersection.
Without help, the future is bleak. Planners expect the current King County population of 500,000 to grow to 700,000 by 2020. There will be 150,000 more jobs then, too, increasing traffic by 56 percent. Part of the problem with I-405 between Bothell and Renton is that there's not a lot of room to add more lanes parallel to the existing freeway. However, there's plenty of room above the current roadway, both for more lanes and interconnecting overpasses.