Seattle, WA
Data shows Seattle-area traffic on Fridays worse than 2019 levels
INRIX, a firm that studies traffic, has been tracking data surrounding the impact of Amazon’s five days a week in-office mandate on traffic in the Seattle area.
According to charts from INRIX that were posted last week, Friday traffic has become worse than pre-pandemic levels in every area the company tracked, except for one.
INRIX looked at speed levels over the span of January 2019, December 2024, January 2024 and January 2025. The commutes tracked were Interstate 405 (I-405) north to Bellevue, I-405 south Lynnwood to Bellevue, State Route (SR) 520 west Overlake to Seattle, Interstate 90 (I-90) east Eastgate to Seattle, Interstate 5 (I-5) south Everett to Seattle, I-5 north Tacoma to Seattle and Ballard to Pike Street.
Expect traffic: Amazon employees in Washington begin return to office full time
In every area, except SR 520 west Overlake to Seattle, traffic slowed on Fridays in January 2025, compared to January 2019. Looking at this year compared to last year, the most significant traffic jump on Fridays was seen on the I-405 north Renton to Bellevue and I-5 north Tacoma to Seattle commutes.
Tuesdays also saw a traffic increase from 2019 to 2025. However, Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays were the opposite, with the majority of commutes seeing less traffic during those days of the week in January 2025, compared to January 2019.
“The return of tens of thousands of Amazon employees daily commuting to downtown Seattle and Bellevue created ripple effects that were quickly felt,” INRIX wrote on its website. “As a result, highways connecting suburbs to urban centers experienced significant congestion, with travel times doubling in some cases.”
To view each chart, visit INRIX’s website.
According to the company, commute times increased by 15-20%, with some side streets reporting even longer delays. It added the spike in traffic heightened stress on infrastructure, with highways and local roads struggling to accommodate.
Background of Amazon’s full-time in-office mandate
In September 2024, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy announced employees would have to report to the office five days a week instead of the previous three days a week. He noted exceptions include if an employee’s child is sick, if they have a house emergency, if they are on the road seeing customers or partners or if they need a day to finish coding in a more isolated environment.
Jassy said “having the right culture” is imperative for the company and having employees back five days a week will strengthen that culture. He believes the new policy will lead to more innovation and collaboration.
‘Extra income for everyone:’ Business owners rejoice as Amazon workers return full time
While workers’ rights advocates and some inside the company fought back against the return to the office, others — like those who stand to make a profit — are celebrating the resurgence of foot traffic.
Café workers, food truck owners and more, all surrounding the corporate offices in South Lake Union, told KIRO Newsradio earlier this month they’d noticed a higher number of people walking the sidewalks than any Monday in recent memory.
INRIX is hopeful Amazon will be able to collaborate with city officials to balance the strained infrastructure with a revitalized downtown.
Contributing: Sam Campbell, KIRO Newsradio
Julia Dallas is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read her stories here. Follow Julia on X here and email her here.
Seattle, WA
Outreach groups respond to the reported relocation cycle of Ballard’s homeless population
SEATTLE — As people voice concerns about an encampment in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood, outreach groups are detailing their efforts and fighting back against encampment removals.
The outreach group We Heart Seattle said it checks on the people in an encampment of at least 20 people weekly to offer water, snacks, personal hygiene items, and access to treatment.
RELATED | Ballard encampment grows after city removes nearby site along Burke-Gilman Trail
The group told KOMO it believes more can be done at the city level, from policy to housing, to get the homeless connected with shelter and services.
A woman working at the Fred Meyer off NW 45th Street and 9th Avenue captured video of a fire near tents at an encampment across the street. A day later, off camera, she told KOMO News she worries about the safety of the people living in the tents and Ballard neighbors, in addition to concerns about alleged open-air drug use at the encampment.
“We became homeless because of certain situations, and we turned to drugs, and unfortunately, addiction comes next, you know?” Crystal Rawlings told KOMO News. She has set up her tent on multiple streets in Ballard, and said she’s approaching one year of being opioid-free.
She believes there’s been more city outreach since the start of the new mayoral administration to connect people living on the streets with services, but knows there’s not enough transitional housing for everyone who needs or wants it.
She and the Ballard Community Task Force on Homelessness and Hunger urge the city to stop encampment removals that push this group to another block.
RELATED | City removes Ballard encampment as neighboring businesses raise housing concerns
“We’re not abominations. We’re not obstructions, and we’re not trash, so stop sweeping us,” Rawlings stated.
The city is still aiming to reach Mayor Katie Wilson’s goal of adding 1,000 new units of shelter in 2026 and recently opened a tiny home village in nearby Interbay, but fell short of the goal of 500 new units by June.
Andrea Suarez with We Heart Seattle estimates at least 20 people living on the street keep getting moved around Ballard, from behind the Albert Lee store to Leary Avenue to NW 45th Street behind the Fred Meyer.
“This encampment has people that’ve been homeless for more than five years. We know their names and faces. They’re still here. They’re still stuck in late-phase addiction, frankly because it’s permitted,” Suarez explained.
RELATED | Viral makeshift homeless shelter with chimney dismantled by Seattle city crews
She believes a camping ban on city sidewalks would help encourage more people to accept shelter, and help stop the cycle of moving people without
“It is an underserved community. I think it is unfair,” Suarez added. “We’ve tried to balance between enablement and really giving people a hand up, but without the teeth and backup for the work of outreach workers, it starts to feel futile, and that’s why we get burned out.”
The mayor’s office was working to send data about its homeless response in Ballard as of Wednesday afternoon.
The Ballard Community Task Force on Homelessness and Hunger estimates there have been nine Ballard-area encampment removals so far this year.
SEATTLE – Wednesday will be another warm day with highs in the mid to upper 80s for parts of western Washington. Eastern and central Washington will reach near 100F with high fire danger. The coast and north interior will be cooler, only in the 60s to 70s.
Wednesday will be another warm day with highs in the mid to upper 80s for parts of western Washington.
Fire Weather Watch
A Fire Weather Watch goes into effect Wednesday evening through Thursday evening for thunderstorms and gusty winds. Lightning strikes could create new fire starts and, with very dry conditions in place, any new fire could spread quickly.
A Fire Weather Watch goes into effect Wednesday evening through Thursday evening for thunderstorms and gusty winds.
What’s next:
An upper level low will move into the Pacific Northwest, bringing scattered showers and a chance of thunderstorms. The heaviest showers will be in the morning hours and will turn more scattered into the evening hours.
An upper level low will move into the Pacific Northwest, bringing scattered showers and chance of thunderstorms.
Looking Ahead:
High pressure will build again Friday and into the weekend, increasing temperatures and sunshine. We will start to see highs reach the upper 80s to low 90s by early next week.
High pressure will build again Friday and into the weekend, increasing temperatures and sunshine.
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After so many disappointing seasons with the interior offensive line, the Seattle Seahawks made a commitment last offseason to improve the unit. They started one big step at a time by drafting North Dakota State guard Grey Zabel in the first round, 18th overall pick, of the 2025 NFL Draft. This one was one of the last steps for the Seahawks to create one of the most productive offenses in the NFL.
Zabel wasn’t perfect in his rookie season, but he was good enough to validate the decision to draft him in the first round, and he showed improvement. Zabel is already a favorite among some Seahawks fans and some media outlets as they love his determination and spirit. It was a big jump from the FCS collegiate level to the NFL and this season, he has a chance to show why he might be a top-half-of-the-league guard.
Why Zabel Could Be Ranked Higher?
The Seahawks wanted a determined workhorse when looking for a guard. That’s exactly what they got in Zabel. Last season, he appeared in 1,051 snaps, which is only 10 fewer snaps than right tackle Abraham Lucas, who had the most offensive snaps. Zabel got better as the season progressed. Pro Football Focus gave him an overall grade of 81.5 and a run-block grade of 81.2 in Week 14 through the NFC Championship Game.
There were times last season when he looked like a monster against several defenders. He was pushing some defenders completely out of the way on pulling plays and even ran to defenders after the pass-catcher caught the ball. This is the mentality the Seahawks expect him to have going into his second season in the league. He has more experience and the complete trust of the team to be a franchise player on par with Lucas and left tackle Charles Cross. If he continues to improve, he will be another steal for the Seahawks.
Why Zabel Could Be Ranked Lower?
There were times last season when he didn’t quite catch up to the learning curve of the NFL. Zabel allowed two sacks, four hits and 24 pressures in 2025. The Seahawks expect those numbers to decrease significantly as he is experienced and capable of playing at an efficient level. While Zabel is impressive, he might not be the best player the Seahawks have selected in the 2025 NFL Draft. That honor belongs to slot cornerback Nick Emmanwori, who is stepping up to be the steal of the draft.
Zabel is easily one of the best second-year players and is one of the top offensive linemen, but there are players behind him because they haven’t proven to be consistently explosive for the Seahawks. There is going to be even more pressure on him this upcoming season. The Seahawks hired a more run-friendly coach in Brian Fleury as offensive coordinator. His ranking at the end of the season might be much better if he improves, or worse if he fails to reach expectations.
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