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Week of Sep. 10, 2007
Tunnel reopening highlights Metro’s September service change
When the tunnel opens, Metro will make many changes to surface routes. | King County Metro Transit is gearing up for a major service change starting Saturday, Sept. 22 – but the biggest change happens two days later with the reopening of Metro’s downtown Seattle bus tunnel on Monday, Sept. 24.Bus service will operate in the 1.3-mile long tunnel with 18 different routes, Monday through Friday from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sound Transit Link light rail trains will join buses in the tunnel when the rail line from Westlake Station to Tukwila International Blvd Station opens in 2009. The light rail extension to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport opens by the end of that year. With the reopening of the transit tunnel, Metro is also taking the opportunity to make changes to some surface-street bus routes to balance traffic volumes and relieve congestion in the downtown core – particularly during peak commute times. Once buses return to the tunnel, more than 20 other routes will be moved to Third Avenue to take advantage of the transit priority corridor that exists from 6-9 a.m. and 3-6:30 p.m. on weekdays. These traffic restrictions have made Third Avenue a faster and more reliable corridor for transit operations through downtown during morning and afternoon commute times. These, and other changes, will allow Metro to reduce the number of buses on First, Second, Fourth and Fifth avenues. Those are not the only changes in store for bus passengers this month. Here are some highlights of the September transit service change:
New bus route signage in the tunnel. | • The tunnel will be served by Metro routes 41, 71, 72, 73, 74 Express, 101, 106, 150, 174, 194, 212, 217 (mornings only), 225, 229, 255, 256, 301, and Sound Transit Express 550;• Bus routes assigned to Third Avenue when traveling through downtown include: Metro routes 2 Express, 5, 11, 16, 17, 21 Express (mornings only), 23, 35, 54, 55, 56 Express (mornings only), 66, 113, 116, 118, 119, 120, 121, 122, 123, 125 and 358; • Thanks to the Transit Now initiative approved by voters last year, there will be more service added on routes 25, 75, 234 and 269; • There are changes for three routes serving the University of Washington. Route 373 has two new morning and three new afternoon trips. Route 372 has four extra morning trips, but just when the UW is in session. And, two midday trips on the Route 272 have been discontinued; • Two morning and afternoon trips will be added to Route 918 between the Kent Sounder Station and North Kent, and other trip times have been adjusted to make better connections with the train schedule.
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. Bus passengers should pick up a new red timetable to see if there are any changes for the routes they regularly use. Details of all these changes are included in a special Rider Alert brochure. The Rider Alerts and new red timetables will be available on buses and in Metro information racks this week. Transit customers can do some advance planning can visit Metro’s Online Trip Planner. Enter a travel date of Sept. 22 or later to find trips that reflect Metro's new and changed service. New schedules will be posted in Metro Online Friday, Sept. 21. For information about all the services Metro provides, visit Metro Online, or call Metro Rider Information at (206) 553-3000.
Spot auction set for Sept. 12 The next King County Spot Bid auction will take place Wednesday, Sept. 12 and features surplus computers, computer equipment, and office furniture. The auction is managed by the Fleet Administration Division and includes both King County surplus and items from other government agencies. Previews are on auction day only, from 10 a.m. until the start of the bidding process at noon. Check out the Spot Bid website to see a few photos of items in this month’s auction. The auction will take place at Fleet’s warehouse at 707 S. Orcas St., Seattle. For information, photos and driving directions, visit the auction website. There will be no spot bid auction in October, because of the large-scale vehicle auction taking place on Oct. 13.
Big time for the Huskies Saturday in Montlake The eyes of the college football world will be centered on Husky Stadium in Seattle this weekend, as the up-and-coming University of Washington team hosts the legendary Ohio State Buckeyes. The Buckeyes are currently ranked No. 10 in the two top polls. The crowd will be huge, and traffic could be intense in the Montlake area, State Route 520, Interstate 5, and throughout north Seattle. Arriving by bus could be your best bet for soaking up every minute of the football action. As usual, the Huskies will be offering free Metro service to the stadium. In addition to regular bus service to and from Montlake campus, there is also special shuttle service between the stadium and eight park-and-ride lots: Shoreline; Northgate Transit Center; Houghton; Kingsgate; South Kirkland; Eastgate; South Renton; and Federal Way. Just show your game ticket or ticket stub for a free ride on regular bus service or the special shuttles. |
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Mariners return for some hometown love The bruised and battered Mariners return to Seattle for a seven-day home stand to improve their chances at gaining a wild card berth to the playoffs. Avoid the traffic hassles, and head for the ballgame on a Metro bus. For the weeknight games, ride regular Metro service to the stadium, and then use regular service or one of the specials shuttles for the return trip home. For regular service to the game, Metro’s convenient online Trip Planner allows you to easily research which routes provide the best connection from your home or office to the ballpark. The premium service between the ballpark and several outlying park-and-ride lots operates after weeknight games and both before and after weekend games. It is not available for weekday games that begin before 5 p.m. The fare for special buses is $3 each way. Detailed information for all Mariners service is available on Metro Online. Or, call (206) 553-3000 (voice) or (206) 684-1739 (TTY).
Ride the bus at a gallop to do The Puyallup There are a lot of transit options for getting to and from the Western Washington Fair in Puyallup that runs through Sunday, Sept. 23. Most of the service is provided by Pierce Transit and Sound Transit Regional Express, but there is also connecting service on Metro for King County passengers. Check out the information on Metro Online to plan a convenient and hassle-free trip to “do The Puyallup.” | Subscribe to DOT DashSign-up to receive an e-mail text version of "Transportation Today," along with other significant DOT news by sending an e-mail to us with subscribe King County DOT Dash in the subject line.
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