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Week of July 24, 2006
Seafair rolls on with a little help from KCDOT
Seafair – the region’s premier summer party – kicks into high gear during the next two weeks, and once again the King County Department of Transportation (KCDOT) is playing a big supporting role behind the scenes.
Whether it’s hosting the Blue Angels flying team at Boeing Field, or busing folks from venue to venue on Metro Transit, KCDOT knows how to make the good times roll during Seafair.
Here’s an overview of the services the department offers during the height of Seafair:
Torchlight Parade – Saturday, July 29
Saturday’s annual Seafair Torchlight Parade at 7:30 p.m. is one of the highlights of Seafair, attracting thousands of spectators. One of the hot tips for enjoying the parade is to use Metro to cut through the crowds and escape the parking hassles.
Both before and after the parade on Saturday, there will be extra trips on select Metro routes serving downtown Seattle. Remember that some Metro service will be rerouted to avoid the parade as it travels down Fourth Avenue from the Space Needle to the International District. Both the Elliott Bay Water Taxi and George Benson Waterfront Streetcar Line (Route 99) operate on regular Saturday schedules. See Metro Online for all the details on Torchlight service.
 Seafair Airshow – Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 5-6
For more than 30 years, with only a few brief interruptions, the U.S. Navy Blue Angels have flown in and out of King County International Airport at Boeing Field (KCIA). It’s one of the only shows that the Blues do almost every year.
KCIA’s 10,000-foot runway is more than long enough to accommodate the pilots and their F/A-18 Hornets. Making KCIA the base of operations also fits perfectly into the Angels’ flight plans because the airport is less than five nautical miles from the show site, and the tower crew can give the team personalized attention during takeoffs and landings.
As in past years, the Blue Angel pilots and support crew will make time in their busy schedules to talk to students enrolled at the Aviation High School and in KCIA’s “Opportunity Skyway” program. These visits always excite the students about their aviation studies.
The Blue Angels will arrive in town on Thursday, Aug. 3 and practice that afternoon and Friday over the course on Lake Washington south of Interstate 90. The big Seafair Airshow is set for 1:30 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 5 and 6. There will be several other high-flying acts in addition to the Angels. One big addition is a nighttime flying fireworks show on Saturday at 9 p.m. featuring Pilot Bill Leff and his T-6 Texan.
Motorists and bus passengers should note that the I-90 floating bridge will be closed during the following times:
Thursday, Aug. 3 – 10 a.m. to noon; and 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Friday, Aug. 4 – 12:45 p.m. – 2:40 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 5 – 12:45 p.m. – 2:40 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 6 – 12:45 p.m. – 2:40 p.m.
 Hydro races – Friday through Sunday, Aug. 4-6
Metro is teaming up with Seafair and Sound Transit to provide special shuttle service to the Seafair hydroplane races next weekend on Lake Washington. This year, the service is provided from the Eastgate Park-and-Ride and the Oxbow Lot near Boeing Field in Tukwila. The shuttles are non-stop to the hydro pits at Stan Sayres Pit Area near Genesee Park in Seattle.
The shuttles will operate Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 5-6. On Saturday, the shuttles will leave for the pits between 9:30 a.m. and 10 a.m. On Sunday, they start around 7:30 a.m. They run until about one hour after the last race, except on Saturday when there will be some later shuttles for those staying for the fireworks and nighttime aerial show. The roundtrip fare is $3, and will be collected by Seafair staff in the parking lots when you board.
Also, on Friday there will be shuttle service from the Oxbow Lot to the hydro pits for all the preliminary action. See Metro Online early next week for all the details on hydro shuttle service.
A trip to Bellevue deserves a certain kind of vehicle to make an impression, so why not roll up to this weekend’s annual Bellevue Arts & Crafts Fair in a Metro bus? Metro is offering several options for those attending the fair Friday through Sunday, July 28-30. On Friday, there are many regular Metro and Sound Transit routes traveling close to the fair site at Bellevue Square. Not all service operates at all times, so be sure to check a current paper timetable, the timetables in Metro Online and the Sound Transit website, or use Metro's online Trip Planner by clicking on Bellevue Square as your destination. On Saturday and Sunday, there are free shuttles to and from the fair and the park-and-ride lots at Houghton, South Kirkland and South Bellevue. Shuttle service begins at 10 a.m., and they return from Bellevue Square every 15 minutes until 9 p.m. on Saturday and until 6 p.m. on Sunday. See Metro Online for details about transit service to the fair.
It was just a typical evening run for Metro Transit operator Nathanael Chappelle last month, until he reached an elevated section of Spring Street in downtown Seattle above Interstate 5. As the 29-year veteran operator and his 20 passengers on the Route 2 traveled eastbound, something caught their attention – a distraught person threatening to jump from the overpass onto I-5. After spotting the person straddling the railing, Chappelle stopped the bus and quickly and calmly called Metro’s Control Center to dispatch help. Meanwhile, one of his passengers got off the bus and began quietly talking with the person, who was clearly upset. Together, Chappelle and the passenger tried to keep the conversation going until a police officer arrived and managed to grab the man from behind. The cool, measured response displayed by the two individuals bought enough time for help to arrive. Equally insightful was what Chappelle did next. Sensing how upset his passengers were following the incident, the operator encouraged them to open up and talk about what had just happened – a suggestion that turned out to be just the right medicine. As they talked, Chappelle said he could see the tension ease. Metro managers commended Chappelle and the passenger for their role in thwarting an incident that could have resulted in a devastating outcome for both the person on the overpass and motorists traveling on the freeway below. They were praised for displaying both quick thinking and deep compassion for a person clearly in trouble. |
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Metro is offering a new rewards program for vanpool and vanshare commuters who fill up their vehicles with more riders and back-up drivers. Plus, commuters who start a new vanpool or vanshare also qualify for rewards. For more than 30 years, Metro has been the country’s leading vanpool provider with the largest and oldest program in the nation. Today, Metro supports nearly 900 commuter vans on the road each weekday. Recently, nearly 6,000 people who have signed up with RideshareOnline.com to share their commute received information about the new “Fill It Up” program. Participants can earn a $50 MasterCard gift card several ways, such as: joining a vanpool or vanshare; recruiting new members; becoming a new driver, or; signing up to be the primary bookkeeper for the group. The program runs through next May. For more information about the promotion or to register, visit the Fill It Up website, or call (206) 625-4500.
Crews from the King County Road Services Division are taking advantage of the good weather to work extra hours on an important safety project to repair damaged guardrails countywide. During July through September, the Roads Maintenance Section will devote one six-person crew to travel around the county to replace guardrail sections that have been damaged by accidents and collisions. “Once a guardrail is bent, it loses its protective strength. Then, the rail – and sometimes the posts – must be replaced,” said Ross Pettit, a maintenance supervisor. “We like to stay on top of these repairs, but we’ve been so busy with storm-related road repairs for the first six months of this year that we needed to catch up with the guardrail replacement.” Pettit says the guardrail crew has been working in the Cherry Valley area near Duvall and Tiger Mountain south of Issaquah. They will also be doing repairs on roads near Novelty Hill, Cedar Grove, Juanita, and Hobart. The goal is to get caught up on the repairs by the time the rainy season starts, before new accidents cause more damage. |
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