On Monday, September 24, the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel will reopen for bus service. The tunnel was closed for two years to retrofit it for buses and future light rail. With the tunnel reopened, riders will be able to move more quickly through downtown, avoiding traffic and stop lights.

“The bus tunnel is critical to moving people through downtown, and will only become more important once light rail begins running in 2009,” said King County Councilmember Julia Patterson, vice-chair of the Council’s Transportation and Regional Transit Committees and a member of the Sound Transit Board. “Residents of South King County who ride the bus to Seattle will soon notice the improved ride through Seattle, both in the tunnel and on surface streets, due to improvements above and below the downtown streets.”

The routes operating in the tunnel every weekday from 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. are: Metro routes 41, 71, 72, 74 Express, 101, 106, 150, 174, 194, 212, 217 (mornings only), 225, 229, 255, 256, 301, and Sound Transit Express 550. Timetables will be available on buses tomorrow and at Metro Online on Sept. 21. The Trip Planner feature on the King County website will also be available to help riders plan their trips.

Once buses return to the tunnel, more than 20 other routes will be moved to 3rd Avenue taking advantage of the transit priority corridor that exists from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and from 3:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. These traffic restrictions make 3rd Avenue a faster and more reliable corridor for transit operations through downtown, especially during peak commute times. This, along with other changes, will reduce the number of buses on 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 5th Avenues.

For those living in South King County, some routes of interest: Routes 101 and 106 service from Renton to Downtown Seattle, Route 150 service from Kent to Downtown Seattle, Routes 174 and 194 service from Federal Way and SeaTac to Downtown Seattle.

For more information about the bus tunnel reopening or other bus service changes coming later this month, go to Metro website or call the Rider Information Office at (206) 553-3000.