Busiest travel time of weekend likely to be mid-afternoon Friday



SEATTLE -- Some people are starting their Fourth of July vacation a little early. But first you have to get there.

If you've got plans for getting out of town this holiday weekend, the traffic analysts at Inrix in Kirkland say you'll have plenty of company.

And they predict that Friday will be the busiest day of the long weekend.

Bob Pishue, a senior economist at Inrix, said the busiest time to travel Friday will be from noon to 6 p.m., with the worst part of the travel day from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Two spots you might want to avoid Friday afternoon -- I-5 from downtown through Northgate. That seven-mile stretch could take more than hour. The other spot is across Mercer Island on I-90.