12:59 PM PDT on Thursday, July 15, 2004

By KING5.com

(File Photo)

A visit to Seattle by many of the nation's governors this weekend will be just one of many factors to make getting around the city a challenge.

The gathering of the National Governor's Association is expected to attract 36 of the nation's governors, their families and a variety of corporate representatives, totaling about 1,100 people.

But the Saturday-through-Monday meeting at the Westin coincides with several other events, including the Bite of Seattle food fest at Seattle Center, Mariners games every weekend day and Monday, plus a protest march on Saturday past the Westin and the Seattle Triathlon.

All together, the activity amounts to a potential perfect storm of traffic woes.

The governors' conference itself will mean tight security in the area around the Westin starting Saturday morning. In addition to the governors, the conference is expected to include visits by Homeland Security chief Tom Ridge and Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson as well as former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

Any road closures due to security will be further complicated on Saturday as a group of marchers use the meeting as a way to draw attention to related issues.

"We're using the governors meeting as an opportunity to say we need to spend more time on public priorities. We want to make the case that we need to spend more time funding services that directly affect people and working families," said Tim Welch, a spokesman for the American Federation of State, County Municipal Employees in Washington.

Others plant to protest the association's corporate backing and closed-door sessions.

AFSCME and other groups plan to gather at Westlake Center around 1:30 p.m. for a 2 p.m. march that will wind from Westlake up 4th Avenue to Lenora, east to 6th Avenue and south past the Westin to Olive. Marchers will continue on Olive to 5th, then take Pine Street back to Westlake.

The group will hold a rally to from 2:45 to 3:30 p.m. Among the speakers will be presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich.

In an effort to mitigate potential traffic problems, the Washington Department of Transportation and King County Metro are tweaking thier normal operation throughout the weekend.

• Work on seismic retrofits to the Spokane Street/Columbia interchange and the Forest Street Exit to 6th Avenue off of Interstate 5 will be suspended as will work on the Michigan, Corson and Swift-Albro exits.
• The express lanes in and out of Seattle will be adjusted to accommodate the expected crowds.
• King County Metro is offering special shuttle service every 10 minutes between downtown and Seattle Center

Where those changes may make things easier, others may make things more difficult. The express lanes on Interstate 90 will be closed from 6 a.m. to 11 a.m. Sunday for the Seattle Triathlon. Cell phone users can call 511 to get immediate traffic information.