News from King County Department of Transportation
Release date:  May 17, 2006

Buses routed off Fremont Bridge starting Monday

Changes for four bus routes may last up to 12 months

Bus passengers who ride Metro Transit routes 26, 28, 31 and 74 can expect major routing changes in the Fremont area beginning Monday, May 22.

Starting next week, buses will be prohibited on the Fremont Bridge for up to one year, while the city of Seattle constructs new approaches to the bridge. There will be lane closures and vehicle width limits during this time, so buses, trucks and other large vehicles must be rerouted around the bridge.

During this phase of the city’s project, the four Metro bus routes that normally travel across the Fremont Bridge will begin using alternate routing and bus stops. Routes 26, 28 and 74 will use the Aurora Bridge, and Route 31 will travel across the Ballard Bridge. Only Route 31 will serve downtown Fremont during the construction period.

During the coming year, passengers who board or exit buses in the neighborhoods both north and south of the Fremont Bridge will be affected by the transit changes. In addition to the reroutes, there will be limited or no bus service in some locations:

• On the south side of the bridge, Route 31 will no longer travel on West Nickerson Street. This will have a significant impact for those traveling to and from North Queen Anne and also the Seattle Pacific University campus. Routes 13 and 17 will continue to serve West Nickerson Street and SPU;
  
• There will be no service on Dexter Avenue North from Crockett Street to Westlake Avenue North;
  
• North of the bridge, there will be no bus service on Wallingford Avenue North between North 35th Street and North 40th Street, and on North 35th Street between Wallingford Avenue North and Stone Way North; and
  
• There will be no bus service on Fremont Avenue between the bridge and North 35th Street.

Route revisions are now available online. When routes 26, 28, 31 and 74 begin the new routing on May 22, they will operate as closely as possible to existing schedule times, but passengers should be aware that those times could vary by a few minutes due to the changes. The schedules for these routes will be updated on June 3, along with the other seasonal service changes occurring throughout the Metro Transit system.

Metro is also hosting several “Plan Your Commute” sessions in June, where people can get one-on-one help planning bus trips in and around Fremont. These sessions will be held June 6, 8, 15 and 22 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Solar Café at the Fremont PCC, 600 N. 34th Street, Seattle. Information will also be available on other travel options, such as Vanpool, VanShare, carpooling and biking.

Sometimes people need more than bus service. That’s where carpooling, vanpooling or vansharing can help. Carpooling and vanpooling match people traveling to common destinations. VanShare helps those who need to make a connection to or from bus service. You can VanShare from home and connect to your bus, or use VanShare from the bus stop or park-and-ride lot to complete a trip to work.

For information about Metro service, visit Metro Online, or call (206) 553-3000. For information about the city’s Fremont Bridge project, visit the project Website.