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Week of Feb. 6, 2006
New park-and-rides, new bus routes debut in February
 The bus service changes that begin Saturday, Feb. 11 will expand transit options for local residents seeking to ease their commute or find new ways to travel across King County. Now is a good time to pick up a new green Metro timetable or check out the latest info on Metro Online.
This month, there are new park-and-ride lots opening along Interstate 5 and near Interstate 90 supported by two new commuter bus routes. Plus, there are other revisions to improve the speed and reliability of all transit service.
Major changes at park-and-ride lots include the opening of King County Metro Transit’s Issaquah Highlands 1,000-stall garage and Sound Transit’s Federal Way Transit Center with 1,200 parking spaces. Also in February, Sound Transit will open the 265-stall South Sammamish lot and close the park-and-ride on Mercer Island for approximately 12 months for the construction of a new parking garage.
Metro and Sound Transit bus service will be adjusted to serve the new park-and-rides. This includes the debut of Metro Route 218 with direct service between Issaquah Highlands and downtown Seattle, and Sound Transit Express 577 between the Federal Way Transit Center and Seattle. Both new routes will operate during peak commute times only.
There are significant revisions to both Metro and Sound Transit routes currently serving Federal Way. Most of the routes that use the new transit center on 23rd Avenue South will no longer serve the renamed Federal Way/South 320th Street Park-and-Ride. If your route travels through Federal Way, it is important to check the new green timetables to see how you may be affected by the changes.
 Transit passengers who currently use the Mercer Island lot are encouraged to park at Metro’s Eastgate Park-and-Ride garage for service across I-90, or at several leased lots on the island for local service. Metro and Sound Transit will provide frequent shuttle service between the leased lots and the Mercer Island Park-and-Ride bus stops. All buses that currently stop on North Mercer Way boarding locations near the Mercer Island Park-and-Ride will continue to stop there, which will be convenient for passengers wishing to transfer to other Eastside or local routes.
Other highlights of the Feb. 11 service change include:
● Revisions in downtown Seattle to routes 111 and 114, so that the buses travel both northbound and southbound on Third Avenue through the Central Business District. Buses on these East Renton and Newcastle routes will continue to enter and leave downtown via Fifth Avenue South;
● Route 143 from Seattle to Black Diamond will travel via southbound on Third Avenue when leaving town. Morning routing on northbound trips will not change;
● Route 308 trips to Lake Forest Park will move to Pike Street and stop just east of Sixth Avenue in the downtown area, instead of connecting with I-5 via Olive Street;
● The six bus stops at the Alaska Junction in West Seattle, near the intersection of Southwest Alaska Street and 44th Avenue Southwest, have been assigned bay numbers to make transfers easier. Buses will continue to stop in the same locations, but the bay numbers will now be used on timetables, maps and other printed and online materials; and
● Minor schedule adjustments on several other routes.
Three times a year, Metro Transit updates its routes to improve service and keep up with the changing needs of transit passengers. The updated schedules are now available in new green paper timetables. Look for them on most buses, and in Metro racks in libraries, malls and government offices. Starting Friday, Feb. 10 the new schedules will be available on Metro Online. You can also call (206) 553-3000 for Metro information.
Plan your trip in advance with Metro's online Trip Planner, and see what routes, times and locations are best for you. Trip plans using Metro's new schedules are available now. Enter a date of Feb. 11 or later for itineraries in Metro's service area. Trip plans outside of King County may not contain complete information until the day of the service change.
Spring arrives early every February when the Northwest Flower and Garden Show opens at the Washington State Convention Center in downtown Seattle. Metro can make the trip to the show as peaceful as a tiptoe through the tulips with shuttles from the Northgate Transit Center, or via the many regular Metro routes that serve downtown. The weekend shuttles make no other stops. The show runs Wednesday through Sunday, Feb. 8-12. The Northgate shuttles will operate on Saturday and Sunday from approximately 8:30 a.m. until the show closes in the evening. The shuttle fare is $1 each way. For more information about transit service to the flower and garden show, visit Metro Online or call (206) 553-3000 |
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During the heavy rains and landslides of January, King County Road Services Division crews were confronted by an immoveable object - a 30,000 lb. rock sitting on the shoulder of North Bend Way. As the maintenance crews began puzzling on how to chip it into smaller pieces for disposal, someone wondered if another agency might not find a rock that size useful. “For Roads, it was an impediment to the traveling public and a nuisance,” said Maintenance Section Manager Debbie Arima. “But, the staff at the Woodland Park Zoo viewed it quite differently. They evaluated the rock and determined it could be used in the zoo’s Northern Trail exhibit in either the bear or elk habitat.” There was still the issue of moving the rock from North Bend to Seattle. Shortly after it fell from the hillside, the rock was removed from North Bend Way with a large crane and a big truck, and stored at Marenakos Rock Center in Preston. This week, Marenakos will transport it to the zoo, where a crane will lift it into a storage area. Staff from the zoo said it will rest there until the Northern Trail rehab project begins later this year. |
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