Getting Around the Puget Sound
The Washington State Department of Transportation and affiliated providers offer many web-based services to ease your travel through our region. We've selected some information of special interest to our North Seattle neighbors, but there's a lot more at the DOT site.
Current Traffic Flow Maps. Click map at right to view this excellent traffic resource, which is updated throughout the day from cameras, reports, automatic sensors and actual human beings.
Traffic Cameras. Click images for additional direct links to North Seattle cameras.
Traffic Cameras. Click images for additional direct links to North Seattle cameras.
Errata
These links are working as of September 4, 2017. If you find broken links or missing graphics, please let us know, and we will repair them yet again. (Insert audible sigh here.)
They've done it again!
Note 12 Oct. '24: After maintaining this page since 1998 we have concluded that all the respective government agencies linked from this page are part of a cabalistic conspiracy to make work for government employees whose sole mission is to constantly reorganize their file structure, making it impossible to keep referral pages accurate. Coupled with the various search engines' propensity to maintain obsolete links until the end of time, you are very likely to wait forever to be served by these transportation agencies. In particular, the WSDOT has a crack team of "designers" (insert image of 20-something sitting a computer screen with evident self-satisfaction). Their job is to change their website sporadically to make useful content disappear from their own site and from any site linked to it. We try to keep up with their antics, but they apparently have a budget of $trillions, and we just cannot keep up. This website is not responsible for the inconvenience, illness, injury or death that may result from such practices.
Sorry; we'll fix it again ASAP.
Sorry; we'll fix it again ASAP.
Ferries, Buses and Trains
Norhwest Ferries
Washington State and British Columbia Ferries can give you some of the world's greatest scenery with your trip.
Washington State Ferry crossing Puget Sound.
Puget Sound Buses
These regional agencies want to take you for a ride.
- King County/Metro - Sound Transit serving King County and parts of Snohomish and Pierce Counties.
- Community Transit serving North King and Snohomish County.
- Pierce Transit in Tacoma and Pierce County.
- Community Transit serving North King and Snohomish County.
Not in a hurry? Ride a Metro Bus.
Sounder Trains
Sound Transit also offers the Sounder service from Seattle, north to Everett and South to Lakewood (south of Tacoma). Reviews of the service are mixed; apparently if you like delays based on landslides you'll love the Everett run; if you prefer delays based on traffic and equipment failure, go with the Lakewood service. Whether future extensions to Olympia and Arlington will be an improvement, stay tuned. Apologies to the two hardworking employees at ST; they know who they are.
Sounder train at King Street Station, Seattle.
Amtrak, Regional and Continental
Amtrak offers the Cascade service from British Columbia to Oregon and connections Southern California plus continental service eastward from Seattle and Everett.
Amtrak's Cascades train.
Images by Washington State Department of Transportation, King Co. Metro, BC Ferries, or as otherwise indicated.