Q: There was a lot of talk about how traffic seemed to be better than usual last month during the Interstate 5 construction project through downtown Seattle, even though there were multiple-lane closures. Lake Forest Park resident Darlene Beckley figures much of the congestion that was lessened on weekends was because motorists discovered that the express lanes were open to southbound traffic all day rather than reversed for northbound traffic in the afternoon.

"It seems that there is always a backup on southbound I-5 on the weekend, and that there is more traffic getting backed up because of the Highway 520 merge, as well as weekend sporting activities," she said. "Yet, northbound seems free and clear and people going south in the afternoon are going five miles an hour, watching the 10 cars on the express lanes going north pass them by."

Has there been any consideration given to keeping the express lanes open for southbound traffic later in the day on weekends?

A: The state Department of Transportation says keeping the express lanes open to southbound traffic all day seemed to make sense because the construction project not only reduced the number of northbound lanes, but also the amount of northbound traffic.

However, weekend freeway traffic volumes in both directions through Seattle are typically more balanced, said transportation department freeway operations engineer Vinh Dang. As a result, traffic seems to flow smoothly in the direction that the express lanes are running and traffic slows in the opposite direction, mainly because weekend daytime traffic volumes in both directions have simply outgrown the freeway, he said.

"We are analyzing the traffic data we gathered during the recent I-5 construction, and will use the information to help determine whether a revised I-5 express lane schedule could help move traffic more efficiently." he said. "We will keep in mind that what's good for traffic in one direction may have a significant affect on traffic in the opposite direction."

During the construction period, it wouldn't have helped to reverse the express lanes on weekends anyway because the first northbound express lanes entrance downtown, near Cherry Street, is north of where construction crews were working.