July 25, 2012

Seattle Torchlight events, SR 99 closures will prompt King County Metro bus reroutes

Plan ahead and check your routes before heading downtown this weekend

This will be a busy weekend in Seattle as thousands head downtown to take in the Seafair Torchlight festivities. Portions of SR 99 will also be closed this weekend, so make sure you plan ahead and know how your Metro bus route may be affected.

Nearly all Metro bus routes that serve the Seattle Center, downtown Seattle, Pioneer Square and SODO areas will be affected at some point by reroutes or delays due to pre-event staging and heavy crowds expected to attend the parade and Torchlight Run.

Sound Transit’s Link light rail service will run south from Westlake Station about every 5 minutes from 10-11 p.m. Saturday to accommodate post-parade crowds.

The closure of portions of northbound and southbound SR 99 this weekend will also prompt bus reroutes. So passengers should familiarize themselves with how this construction work may impact their bus trips.

In addition to the bus, the West Seattle Water Taxi may be a good alternative for people coming downtown from West Seattle. Keep in mind the last return sailing leaves Pier 50 in Seattle at 10:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.  

Visit Metro’s online Trip Planner to find out how to get to and from events and locations. The Trip Planner provides information about scheduled service and stops, and does not take service revisions into account. After planning your trip, check Metro’s Construction & Events page to find out about any planned revisions to your routes.