News from King County Department of Transportation
Release date:  May 30, 2006

Metro Transit bus service updates start Saturday

Starting Saturday, June 3, King County Metro Transit will make bus route changes in several locations to update service and adjust for major construction projects in Fremont, Issaquah and north of Kirkland.

Metro updates its routes and scheduling three times a year in February, June and September to improve service and keep up with the changing needs of transit passengers.

All of the changes are detailed in new blue-colored Metro timetables and a special Rider Alert brochure. Look for them on buses in the racks near the front of the coach. The brochures and timetables are also available at Metro information racks, libraries, and work sites.

The new schedule information is now available in Metro’s online TripPlanner. Be sure to enter a travel date of June 3 or after to access the new information. The revised timetables will be available on Metro Online on Friday, June 2. Or, call Metro Rider Information at (206) 553-3000.

Here are the highlights of the upcoming service change:

Issaquah Park-and-Ride closure & changes to routes 214, 218, ST 554

The Issaquah Park-and-Ride at Newport Way and State Route 900 will close to parking on Saturday, June 3 for up to 18 months while Sound Transit constructs an 800-stall garage.

All bus routes currently serving the Issaquah Park-and-Ride will continue to do so at the existing bus stops. Passengers have three options for parking: a smaller interim lot located across SR-900 to the northwest; at the Tibbetts Valley Park-and-Ride across Newport Way to the south; or at other nearby park-and-ride lots.

Metro expects many commuters to switch either to the Eastgate or Issaquah Highlands park-and-ride garages during the construction. In anticipation of that, and to relieve some current overcrowding, Metro is adding four new trips to the Route 218 between the Issaquah Highlands Park-and-Ride and Seattle, and decreasing the Route 214 to and from the Issaquah lot by six trips. Please check the new timetables for exact departure and arrival times on both routes.

Starting in June, Sound Transit will also expand weekend service to the Issaquah Highlands Park-and-Ride with more trips on Sundays on ST Express Route 554.

New Route 644 and extension of Route 255

Metro is partnering with the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) to create the new Route 644 to help commuters navigate Interstate 405 while the state widens the freeway north of Kirkland in the Totem Lake area.

The new bus route will operate during peak commute hours to connect the Kenmore Park-and-Ride with the Overlake Transit Center via Inglewood, Finn Hill, the Kingsgate Park-and-Ride, I-405 and State Route 520. It will make nine southbound trips in the morning and nine northbound trips in the afternoon. The afternoon trips will stretch into the early evening to better accommodate people with flexible work schedules. It operates five days a week.

This additional bus service will increase transit connections to the busy Overlake employment center, and should decrease the number of vehicles traveling on I-405 while it is under construction. WSDOT is also providing funds to extend peak-hour trips on existing Metro Route 255. All morning commute-time trips on Route 255 will now begin from the Brickyard Park-and-Ride instead of starting at the Kirkland Transit Center. All of the afternoon peak-hour buses will also serve the Brickyard. This change will provide a new direct connection to the Kirkland Transit Center for more bus riders from north Kirkland, Juanita and Kingsgate.

Revised bus routing near Fremont Bridge

Some changes actually began May 22, when the city of Seattle started a yearlong project to improve the Fremont Bridge. Four Metro routes were detoured off the bridge and began using alternate routing and stops. Routes 26, 28 and 74 are now using the Aurora Bridge, and Route 31 is traveling across the Ballard Bridge. The schedules for these routes will be updated on June 3, and available in the new blue timetables.
 
University District summer service

University District routes 31, 48, 65, 67, 68, 75, 167, 197, 205, 271, 272, 277, 372 and ST 540 will have some trips suspended during the summer due to lower usage. Please check the new timetables to find out if your trip has changed.
 
Other changes

• The Route 99 bus stop southbound on Alaskan Way at  Columbia Street will be replaced with a new stop eastbound on Yesler Way between Alaskan Way and  Post Avenue, which means the route will no longer travel southbound on Alaskan Way between Yesler Way and South Jackson Street.  Northbound routing does not change.
• Several routes that interconnect with other routes at the Northgate Transit Center will now pair with different routes to improve schedules. Riders on routes 345, 346, 347 and 348 may have to change buses at the transit center, and should check new timetables.
• There are also routing or schedule revisions for routes 121, 128, 131, 166, 230, 247, 914, 916,  ST 550 and ST 564.  Please check new timetables for these routes.

Sometimes people need more than bus service. That’s where Rideshare Services can help by providing resources for carpooling, vanpooling or vansharing. 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.