Hi Duckie...the commute from Magnolia to Tukwila, depending on time of day because of traffic congestion, should take you around 15 to 20 minutes. There is an alternate route that google may not have known about. I'd take 99 from Magnolia over bridge to Marginal Way...it will take you right into Tukwila.

Hope this helps.

Hello Duckie,

I've been a Magnolia Resident all of my life. As of right now a commute from Magnolia to tukwilla is about 35 minutes in the morning. Central Magnolia to Downtown is only a 4 mile drive...about 15 minutes. Once past Downtown you would be going against rush hour traffice and you would have an easy drive of about 20 minutes after that. That's as of now. A major highway (Alaskan Way Viaduct) thru Downtown is slated to be torn down in the next few years and replaced with a tunnel.... that will create traffic nightmares for quite a while.

Hey, I happen to like Magnolia as I've lived here all my life! And as said earlier, it's a reverse commute so it shouldn't take more than half an hour in the worst of traffic. And also Magnolia is convenient to everything else the city has to offer with downtown being at most a ten minute drive away.
Good luck on your move. I'll see you in the Village!

I like Steve's take on the public transit option but it's not clear that it would actually save time. Magnolia is a "deep" neighborhood without easy/quick access to other parts of town. Although it is a great neighborhood it is probably one of the worst options for a commuter.

That said, I would guess the commute time to be at least 30 minutes and at times 40 minutes - that is as long as the viaduct is still standing.

Hello Duckie (sounds like a line from a movie),
Magnolia is a great neighborhood what with the village, views and Discovery Park. The later should make you feel like you brought along a piece of CO. I would also like to throw in the new option for using mass transit. You could take a bus to the light rail downtown station and then hop the train to Tukwila. Depending on where in Tukwila you work, you might be able to walk or take a short bus ride to your final destination. Here's a link for more details http://www.seattle.gov/Transportation/lightrail.htm . Welcome aboard!
Steve

Pat's answer about the viaduct construction was going to be the same as mine, but I'd also question why you'd want to live in Magnolia if you work in Tukwilla? I view Magnolia as a great place to live if you work downtown. but if you work in Tukwilla and can afford Magnolia, I'd consider someplace further south with the same or better water view. You'd no longer have the reverse commute, but it wouldn't be horrible either, and would probably take less time.

Hi Duckie,

Not too bad if you stay off the I-5, although you would be driving a reverse commute.

The most congested part would be going from Magnolia through downtown Seattle since you would be going with traffic. Then once you are almost to Pioneer Square, past downtown you can take the Alaskan Way viaduct to the 99 Hwy, then the 599 Hwy to Tukwila. After getting on the Viaduct you would be going against traffic and it would be fast from there to Tukwila.

Going home to Tukwila would just be the reverse, fast going against traffic until you exit the Viaduct in Belltown, and then you would hit traffic from Belltown to Magnolia.

Once you get on the Viaduct the commute should take about 10 to 15 minuets. Magnolia to the Viaduct could take 20 to 30 minuets with traffic, maybe more.

I personally LOVE driving from the 509 to the Viaduct then on to Magnolia. It's fast, and a beautiful drive overlooking Elliott Bay from the Viaduct, past the Olympic Sculpture Park and then on to Magnolia. On the weekends or non commute times that could take just 20 minutes total.

Too bad our City Goverment wants to tear down the Viaduct and instead build a fewer lane tunnel route to replace it....maybe...I hope not!

Magnolia is one of my favorite communites and very beautiful. I do have to say though, there are beautiful Sound View homes in Three Tree Point and Normandy Park that would have much shorter commutes to Tukwila and for much less money than Magnolia.

Anyway, just a thought!

Hope your re-location to Seattle is an easy one. A great book for moving to Seattle is "Seattle Survival Guide IV". I used an earlier edition when I moved to Seattle and it was very helpful. Let me know if you have any questions, I am happy to help.

~Deborah

Oh yeah--Speaking of Colorado, I was in Durango on the 4th!

Well, it's not the worst commute you could possibly do. Magnolia and Queen Anne both have terrible access to I-5, but you would most likely never use I-5. You'd use 15th Ave to the Viaduct to Hwy 509. This is a much easier way to get from Magnolia to Tukwila. However--When the viaduct comes down for replacement you'll want to move :)