Dear Neighbor,

Beginning Monday, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) will undertake a major road maintenance project that will close several lanes of northbound I-5 in south Seattle between August 10 and August 29.

This project will have significant impacts on South King County commuters.

King County Metro, Sound Transit, WSDOT and other transportation agencies have collaborated to provide transportation alternatives for commuters during this important maintenance project.

I am very pleased that Metro will be providing 15 additional buses on standby for South King County Commuters. Additionally, Sound Transit will be providing additional commuter rail service to make it easier to get in and out of Seattle.

I wanted to make sure you had the most up to date information on the alternatives available for getting around our region during this important construction project.

Sincerely,

Julia Patterson

Vice Chair, King County Council

(Information courtesy of WSDOT)

What can drivers do?

Drivers can help minimize backups and make their own commutes easier during the project by:

Adjusting work schedules to come in earlier or later than normal (go early or stay late; there's lots to do in downtown Seattle)
Working from home or an alternate worksite
Riding the bus
Riding the train
Riding the water taxi
Riding a bike
Using carpools or vanpools
Using alternate routes
Taking a vacation between Aug. 10 through 29
Using the numerous tools listed below to plan ahead

Know before you go

Use traffic information tools and this Web site to stay informed before and during the project.

Traffic tools

Get up-to-the-minute traffic information on WSDOT's Puget Sound Traffic Flow Map.
Check for incidents or events on your alternate routes with WSDOT's Travel Alerts and Slowdowns page and KIRO 710’s Real Time Routing.
Get real-time traffic information on your Web-enabled handheld device by book-marking: www.wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/seattle/small/default.htm.
Check the WSDOT travel time calculator.

Sign up for e-mail updates

Sign up for I-5 Seattle and Shoreline Projects e-mail updates to receive the most updated information about the I-5 Spokane Street to I-90 Bridge Repair project.

Watch traffic cameras

Keep an eye on traffic to learn which alternate routes work best for you by monitoring WSDOT cameras and cameras in Seattle.

Check bus reroute information

Find out if your bus will take a different route and miss any regular stops during this construction. Visit King County Metro Transit’s Web site for information on service revisions due to construction.

Plan your commute

Commute planning assistance

Meet one-on-one with an expert trip planner at the weekly King County Metro Transportation Connection session held weekly from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Wednesdays in Rainier Square at Fourth Avenue and University Street. Enter on Fourth Avenue through the US Bank entrance.

Receive custom bus timetables
Sign up at RideshareOnline.com to find carpool or vanpool partners
Get information on bike workshops or telecommuting
Find out how to save money on your bus pass

Trip Planner

Metro Transit's Trip Planner provides information for public transit in King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties, including Sound Transit's Regional Express bus routes, Sounder commuter rail, Washington State Ferries and the Seattle Center Monorail.

RideshareOnline.com

RideshareOnline.com matches riders for regular commutes as well as regional events, and provides information about park and ride lots, Rideshare rewards programs and commute costs.

Commuter Café

Use King County’s Commuter Café to find information about bicycling, bus service, car sharing, ferries, trains, construction and to sign up for transportation alerts.

Transit options

Bus

Four bus systems provide service in the area. Visit these sites for information about changes in routes and schedules during construction:

King County Metro Transit serves King County communities.
Pierce Transit serves Pierce County communities.
Community Transit serves Snohomish County communities.
Sound Transit provides express bus service.

Park and ride lots

Regional park and ride lots link riders between home and transit options.

View entire recommended park and ride lots map

WSDOT has worked with other groups to temporarily expand free parking capacity in some south-end locations:

Tacoma - 650 free parking spaces in one of the Tacoma Dome lots near the Sounder station and transit station
Sumner - Over 300 free parking spaces in the Sumner High School parking lot
South Seattle - Approximately 250 free parking spaces in the General Services Administration lot on East Marginal Way (across from Federal Center South) near bus stops

Our recommended park and ride lots map shows these temporary lots and other recommended lots with space available.

Bike and ride

Many park and ride lots provide bicycle racks and secure lockers:

VanShare

VanShare bridges the gap between your home and public transportation or public transportation and the office. Vanshare provides a group of three or more people with a van to park at home to take to a public transportation hub or to park at a park and ride lot to take to the office.

Train

Sound Transit operates commuter trains every weekday between Everett and Tacoma. Sounder North connects Everett and Edmonds with Seattle. Sounder South runs from Tacoma to Puyallup, Sumner, Auburn, Kent, Tukwila and downtown Seattle.

Sound Transit added a seventh car to its trains earlier this year. Every extra car has 148 and has maximum capacity of 365 passengers with standing room.

Sound Transit also worked with Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway to add a fifth trip on the south line for the construction period only.

WSDOT worked with other groups to temporarily expand free parking capacity near some Sounder stations. This extra parking may also benefit bus riders, carpoolers and vanpoolers:

Tacoma - 650 free parking spaces in one of the Tacoma Dome lots
Sumner - Over 300 free parking spaces in the Sumner High School parking lot
Kent - Additional free parking spaces in the old park-and-ride lot near the train station

Park and ride lots

Amtrak Cascades will be another viable train option during construction.

Boat

The Elliott Bay Water Taxi shuttles passengers from Pier 55 in downtown Seattle to the Seacrest dock in West Seattle seven days a week. A shuttle van operates in accordance with the water taxi schedule and carries passengers from the Admiral District, Alki Point and the West Seattle Junction to the Seacrest dock.

We worked with Metro Transit to enhance water taxi service on weekdays from Aug. 10 through 29. This includes increasing the capacity of the water taxi from 149 passengers to 250 passengers by upgrading the boat's technology to meet Coast Guard certifications. Metro Transit has also added an earlier weekday trip at 6:10 a.m. and two extra vans to the shuttle service.

Bike

Access King County bicycle route maps.

Learn about biking and busing with:

Many park and ride lots provide bicycle racks and secure lockers:

The Bicycle Alliance Bike Buddy Program matches beginners up with an experienced bicycle rider to learn the ropes of bike commuting.

Sharing the ride

Carpool

Find a carpool or form your own at RideshareOnline.com.

Vanpool

Vanpool agencies will provide a group of commuters with a van, maintenance, insurance and fuel for a monthly fee.

King County Metro is reducing the start-up requirements and cost for new vanpool groups for the month of August. If you use the I-5 corridor to get into or through Seattle, you are eligible. This is a limited promotional offer and ends no later than Aug. 3, 2007. For more details, read King County Metro's news release, call 206-625-4500 or e-mail vanpool.information@kingcounty.gov.

Park and ride lots