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Week of June 15, 2009
Staycationing this summer?
Let Metro help you save money on fun times
Metro serves most of the major Seattle attractions.
| Are personal budget worries creating changes in your summer vacation plans? Many people are either “staycationing” or “daycationing” this summer, having fun close to home rather than spending limited dollars on distant trips.
If you are trading Paris for Pike Place, Rio for Renton, or Lake Tahoe for Lake Washington, King County Metro Transit can help you stretch those holiday dollars even farther when you travel by bus.
There are all sorts of summer activities and vacations to take in King County and around the Puget Sound that can be made even more affordable when you leave your car at home and use public transportation.
Metro has many routes serving the big-city attractions in Seattle and Bellevue, but it also has regular service to parks, beaches, malls, movie theaters, sports fields, and hiking trails in King County.
A little planning before you go will make your hometown vacation much more enjoyable. Metro’s online Trip Planner is the best way to plot out your bus travels and tailor them to your schedule and starting point. It’s important to check first, because not all routes run all day or on weekends.
Here are just a few ideas of some popular destinations served by Metro bus routes:
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Pike Place Market – Routes 15, 18, 21, 22 or 56
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Lincoln Park in West Seattle – Route 54
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Woodland Park Zoo – Routes 5 or 44
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Kirkland downtown & waterfront – Routes 230, 234, 236, 238, 245, 248, 255
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Tiger Mountain Trailhead east of Issaquah – Route 209
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Museum of Flight in Tukwila – Route 174
When you ride the bus, you save on gas – which is creeping up toward $3 a gallon again – and you also spend less money and time on parking. Plus, you can leave the driving to someone else while you play tourist in your own backyard. Break out of your regular commute-bus routine by traveling on the local routes to discover areas that may be close by, but are new to you.
For $2.50 or less, the bus will transport you to your summer-fun destination. If you need to ride more than one route, transfers are valid on any Metro bus for about 90 minutes after they are issued. There are also discounted fares for children and families.
The arrival of summer and the end of the school year coincide with the national Dump the Pump Day, which will be celebrated on Thursday, June 18.
Sponsored by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), Dump the Pump Day encourages people to ride public transportation to save money, protect the environment, reduce dependence on foreign oil, and improve our quality of life. APTA’s monthly Transit Savings Report consistently ranks the Seattle metropolitan area as one of the top ten regions for potential transit savings.
If you’ve never tried public transportation, this Thursday is a great day to get on board with saving and take a new ride. At the same time, regular transit users are encouraged to step it up and make it a “zero drive” day by using only transit for all their trips on Thursday.
It could also be a great day to kick off your car-free summer vacation fun.
Starting July 5, a new round of repairs [external link] begins on the Interstate 90 bridge across Lake Washington.
And by Monday, July 6, the westbound mainline of the I-90 bridge will be closed around the clock for up to three weeks. If you haven’t already starting planning for a longer commute during the closure, now is the time to do so.
Westbound congestion for the July project is expected to be much worse than when the first part of the project was done in May, because this time five lanes of traffic will be funneled into two lanes for several weeks.
The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) has added new tools [external link] to help commuters plan ahead. And, WSDOT and Metro are sponsoring incentives for people who form new vanpools and carpools.
I-90 may be the biggest construction disruption of the 2009 summer for bus riders, but there are dozens more that Metro operations.
Metro customers are advised to take note of an increasing number of planned construction-related reroutes and service disruptions around Seattle and King County as crews kick into high gear on road repairs.
For information and details, check the Reroutes & Service Exceptions page of Metro Online.
 The King County Road Services Division is scheduled to close 212th Avenue Northeast at Woodinville-Duvall Road from Monday, June 22 through August to make major improvements to the intersection.
During the closure, the county will be:
The project is designed to reduce collisions with vehicles turning off Woodinville-Duvall Road and extend sight lines for vehicles turning from 212th Avenue.
Because the county is realigning the north end of 212th Avenue, that road has to be completely closed. There are no anticipated closures on Woodinville-Duvall Road. Motorists can detour via Northeast 133rd Street and either 232nd Avenue Northeast or Bear Creek Road/Avondale Road.
Metro Transit joined the City of Burien and King County Library System last weekend to celebrate the opening of exciting new facilities that are revitalizing downtown Burien.
More than a 1,000 people gathered for a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Saturday, June 13 that dedicated the new Burien Town Square and Metro's new Burien Transit Center. Town Square features a new joint King County Library and City Hall building, the one-acre Town Square Park, new streets, and Urban Partners’ condominium and retail building. Metro’s new transit center is nearby, located on Southwest 148th Street between 1st Avenue South and 4th Avenue Southwest.
After the official ceremony, King County Department of Transportation Director Harold Taniguchi and Metro General Manager Kevin Desmond hosted a tour of the transit center for Congressman Jim McDermott, Burien Mayor Joan McGilton, and members of the Burien City Council. Check out a short video of that tour and other highlights from Saturday's event.
 Watch video
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