Ballard's northwest position means every route to SeaTac starts with a bridge crossing — either the Ballard Bridge on 15th Ave NW or the Fremont Bridge to the east — before connecting to the main southbound corridors. The bridge approach can add meaningful time during the morning commute, particularly on the Ballard Bridge, which carries substantial traffic from the northwest neighborhoods. Lal factors in bridge timing when planning departures from Ballard.
Once across the bridge, the route south on SR-99 or Aurora Avenue toward I-5 and SR-518 is direct. Lal monitors all three segments — bridge, arterial, and freeway — before every pickup, and his pre-dawn availability means early departures from Old Town Ballard are handled with the same reliability as midday runs.
