Transportation

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Few cities in the world are as accessible as Seattle and its surrounding communities. The established transportation hub of the Pacific Northwest, the greater Seattle-Puget Sound region is a key transportation link for the West Coast, North America, and the Pacific Rim.

The Port of Seattle and the Port of Tacoma provide the fastest route for cargo shipped between both the Pacific Northwest and Midwest and Asian markets. Seattle is the fifith largest container port in the United States, and Tacoma is the sixth largest. Combined, they represent the second largest container shipping facilities in the U.S.

Burlington Northern and Union Pacific railroads link both the Seattle and Tacoma ports, as well as businesses and industries throughout the greater Seattle-Puget Sound region, with markets in all parts of the U.S. Almost 4,000 interstate trucking companies also connect the region with the rest of the nation.

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport is the regional air hub for the Pacific Northwest, served by more than 40 airlines, including 15 international carriers and 16 cargo carriers. "Sea-Tac" is one-to-two hours of flying time closer to Pacific Asia than southern California airports, and trans-polar routes enable it to rival east-coast cities in flight times to European capitals. The Seattle Air Program offers freight forwarders the lowest rates of any western U.S. airport.

U.S. Interstate 5 passes through the heart of downtown Seattle, leading directly to Vancouver, British Columbia, and south to San Diego, California, for quick transportation from the Puget Sound region up and down the West Coast. Interstate 90 begins near the Port of Seattle and leads east across the state to Spokane, then across the nation to Boston. Interstate 405 parallels I-5 east of Lake Washington and connects Renton, Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond and other cities on the "Eastside."

The greater Seattle region is also served by the nation's largest public ferry system, providing cross-water links between communities around Puget Sound, and by three public-transit bus fleets for commuters from Tacoma to Everett. In 1996, voters approved a $3.9 billion, 10-year development of a regional transit system that will include light rail, commuter rail, new regional-express bus routes, and additional freeway commuter lanes.

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