Holiday road reports, travel times
Over the river, through the woods and down the highways we go.
Checking road reports before you go may save time during the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. The Washington Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is expanding the information on its Web site to help drivers find the best time to travel state highways over the holiday weekend. WSDOT has tracked information for four key holiday travel routes: I-90 over Snoqualmie Pass, U.S. 2 over Stevens Pass, I-5 south of Olympia and I-5 near the Canadian border. Information may be found at www.wsdot.wa.gov/news/2007/11/15_thanksgivingtraffic.
For local traffic updates, you can check the traffic cams found on The Seattle Times Web site www.seattletimes.com.
Civic calendar
Ferry alert
Today: Required hull inspections will cancel the Anacortes/Sidney route beginning with the 7:45 a.m. sailing to Friday Harbor. The 11:40 a.m. run from Sidney to Friday Harbor and the 1:40 p.m. Friday Harbor to Anacortes run will be canceled. The M/V Elwha will be back in service Tuesday. For more information, check www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries.
Driver-licensing office moving
Today: The downtown Seattle driver- licensing office has moved to a new location, 205 Spring St., and will be open from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays and from 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Thursdays. The office phone number is 206-464-6846.
Pike Place Market tree arrives
Today: A 1936 vintage truck will deliver a 20-foot noble-fir tree at noon to the Market at Pike Street and Pike Place, near the neon Farmers Market sign. A tree-lighting ceremony is scheduled for 5 p.m. Saturday.
Solar-power documentary
Today: After a free screening of “The Power of the Sun” documentary, Walter Kohn, a Nobel Prize winner and executive producer, will lead a question-and-answer session. The event begins at 7 p.m. in Kane Hall, University of Washington, Seattle.
Here & Now is compiled by Seattle Times lead news assistant Lynne Berry. To submit an item, e-mail herenow@seattletimes.com or call 206-464-2226.
Nov. 19, 1911: A flood in the Cedar River valley washes away part of the pipeline that supplies most of Seattle’s water. It took days to repair, and emergency water supplies are set up within the city. The disaster leads to an updated construction policy for the Seattle Water Department.
This break, along with smaller breaks over the next few years, led to the construction of a third pipeline from Cedar River. Pipes used in Pipelines One and Two were wooden stave pipes, which were susceptible to breakage. Pipeline Three would be made from steel.
Source: Historylink.org