WSDOT updates transportation in the state due to the pandemic and lockdown Each quarter, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) publishes a Gray Notebook to inform citizens and legislators about the state of transportation in Washington. The March 2021 snapshot revealed some important perspective on the choices of drivers as the state began recovering from the pandemic lockdown. People have resumed using their cars. WSDOT reports “8 percent fewer vehicles traveling on monitored state highways on Monday, May 3, 2021 than on Monday, May 6, 2019 due to Washington’s continued response to the COVID-19 pandemic.” When it comes to mass transit and public transportation, it was a different story. They report a 79 percent decrease in ridership on Amtrak Cascades in 2020 compared to 2019. Washington State Ferries ridership was 35 percent below its pre-pandemic levels as of May 3, 2021, an increase of three percentage points from March 1, 2021.