Yup, you read that right: There is a Husky football game tonight.  The Dawgs are playing UCLA at 5 pm in Husky Stadium (3800 Montlake Boulevard NE).

The cause of the weird schedule? The game is being televised nationally by ESPN.

I told a friend on facebook last night, “There’s a level of traffic paranoia around here that’s verging on snow forecast.”

My sentiments seem to be echoed by Mark Hallenbeck, director of the Washington State Transportation Center (located at the UW). In this article by the Seattle Times about tonight’s traffic mess potential, Mark is quoted as staying, “My gut feeling is I think it’s going to be pretty ugly.”

Rah. Rah. Rah.

So, in order to combat this paranoia, we bring you the following Thursday Night Husky Game Traffic Information, brought to you by Peg Neilsen at the Seattle Department of Transportation.

• Peak traffic expected to occur between 2 – 5 pm, with increased congestion expected throughout the evening.
• Standard Husky game traffic rerouting will be in effect, with the following exceptions:
  • Montlake Boulevard will be CLOSED from NE Pacific to NE 44th St from 6:30-10:30 pm to accommodate bus traffic
  • The normal game-day one-way pattern on 25th Avenue NE (from the E-1 parking lot up to NE 75th St) will NOT be in effect
• Normal PM peak weekday King County Metro Transit service will continue, with reroutes starting at 2:30 pm. Reroutes expected for the following routes: 31, 44, 65, 67, 68, 75, 205, 271, 272, 277, 372, 273 and ST 540. Check Transit Alerts for reroute information.
• Metro buses will not be available to take fans to the game from Park-and-Rides, but charter buses have been hired to replace them. You have to reserve a seat, however. More information here.
• The Montlake Bridge will stay closed to marine traffic from 3-7 pm and 8-10 pm.  The University Bridge will stay closed only from 3-7 pm.

Good luck, and God speed.