SEATTLE – Council President Bruce Harrell (District 2, South Seattle) and the Seattle City Council adopted Resolution #31859 during its Jan. 7 meeting, which will temporarily change committee and council meeting times from Jan. 14 – Feb. 1 to accommodate anticipated Downtown traffic congestion due to the viaduct closure, commonly referred to as #SeattleSqueeze.
“The City is asking all commuters to adjust their travel habits to the best of their ability during the viaduct closure, which begins this Friday (Jan. 11). Starting some Council meetings later in the morning and earlier in the afternoon will allow constituents and city employees flexibility and reduce trips Downtown during high-traffic times,” said Council President Harrell.
Some regularly-scheduled morning Council and Committee meetings will begin later, while other afternoon meetings will begin earlier. The City has advised all commuters to consider adjusting travel times, as most people commute between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m., and 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.
Councilmember Mike O’Brien (District 6, Northwest Seattle) and Chair of the Council’s Transportation and Sustainability Committee, added “The Council is in a unique position to model a flexible work schedule, whereas others sectors may not have that luxury. By helping City staff and constituents avoid travel during high-traffic times, we are taking some measures to help alleviate congestion Downtown. While this is just one small change, our hope is that, as a City, hundreds of these small changes will add up to make a big difference.”
From January 14, 2019 through February 1, 2019, the Seattle City Council meeting times are as shown below:
| Meeting | Meeting Days and Times |
| Council Briefings | Mondays at 10:00 a.m. |
| Full City Council | Mondays at 2:00 p.m. |
| Civic Development, Public Assets, and Native Communities | 1st and 3rd Wednesdays
1:30 p.m. |
| Civil Rights, Utilities, Economic Development, and Arts | 2nd and 4th Tuesdays
10:00 a.m. |
| Finance and Neighborhoods | 2nd and 4th Wednesdays
1:30 p.m. |
| Gender Equity, Safe Communities, New Americans, and Education | 2nd and 4th Wednesdays
10:00 a.m. |
| Governance, Equity, and Technology | 1st and 3rd Tuesdays
10:00 a.m. |
| Housing, Health, Energy, and Workers’ Rights | 1st and 3rd Thursdays
10:00 a.m. |
| Human Services, Equitable Development, and Renter Rights | 2nd and 4th Tuesdays
1:30 p.m. |
| Planning, Land Use, and Zoning | 1st and 3rd Wednesdays
9:30 a.m. |
| Sustainability and Transportation | 1st and 3rd Tuesdays
1:30 p.m. |
For more information on the Seattle Squeeze, visit seattle.gov/traffic.