Your West Seattle commute is about to get even weirder.
Okay, so I mean, for those of us who commute from West Seattle, the whole "When Flashing, Use High Bridge" signage situation has always been a bit of a… enigma? Like, you're driving along Fauntleroy, maybe you're trying to get to work downtown, and you see that sign flashing, and you're like, "Is it really faster? Or is this just a suggestion from the city that doesn't actually reflect current traffic?" Turns out, a bunch of you have been asking the same thing, and the West Seattle Blog did some digging, which is super appreciated, you know?
### The Bridge of Lies?
It's not exactly a "bridge of lies," but it's definitely not always accurate. Here's the deal, from what I'm gathering:
* **The Intent:** Those signs are supposed to help direct traffic, especially during peak hours or when there's an incident on the lower Spokane Street swing bridge. The idea is to keep things moving. * **The Reality:** They don't always reflect real-time conditions. Sometimes the low bridge is actually faster, even when the sign says to use the high one. It's almost like a delayed reaction, or maybe the system just isn't as smart as we'd hope? I mean, with all the tech here, you'd think we could get real-time bridge intel, right? * **The Frustration:** For anyone trying to get out of West Seattle, whether you're heading to SoDo for a Mariners game or just trying to cross over to Georgetown, this kind of misinformation can add precious minutes to your drive. And we all know how those minutes add up when you're trying to beat the traffic on I-5.
That's Seattle — Rainier's out, everything's forgiven.
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