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Sept. 24 transit changes affect thousands This
Saturday, Sept. 24, Metro makes its seasonal change to improve service
and keep up with the changing needs of transit passengers. But, due to
the impending closure of the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel, the
revision is so big it’s being called “a service change on steroids.”The bus tunnel closes at 7 p.m. on Friday for up to two years to be retrofitted for use by both buses and light rail. The closure will change the downtown routing for more than 70 Metro and Sound Transit routes, affecting nearly 100,000 bus riders. But there are also changes for passengers traveling through the Bellevue Transit Center, and improvements to weekend service on Route 140 between Burien, Sea-Tac, Tukwila and Renton. Here’s a breakdown of the major changes:  Tunnel
bus routesThe 21 routes now in the tunnel will be relocated to surface streets – primarily Second, Third and Fourth avenues. The new routing is different than the patterns previously used by the buses when the tunnel was closed on nights and weekends. Routes 177, 190, 194, 196, 212, 225, 229 and Sound Transit 550 will board on Fourth Avenue northbound and Second Avenue southbound. Routes traveling to and from the Eastside via Interstate 90 run on Fifth Avenue South, when they are south of South Washington Street; Routes 41, 71, 72, 73, 101, 106, 150 and 301 board on Third Avenue in both directions; Routes 255, 256, and 266 travel southbound on Fifth Avenue and northbound on Fourth Avenue; Routes 306 and 312 use Third Avenue northbound and Second Avenue southbound.  Downtown
Seattle serviceEven if your bus doesn’t currently use the tunnel, your daily commute could be affected by the changes. This could include: ● What street the bus travels on in downtown Seattle; ● How it enters or leaves downtown; ● Where it stops downtown; or ● Arrival or exiting downtown locations may be different from boarding locations.  To
improve service on Third Avenue, bus stops will be consolidated. Third
Avenue buses will make alternating stops, just as Second and Fourth
avenue buses currently do. This means buses will not stop at every bus
stop on Third Avenue. Over the summer, Metro installed new bus shelters with improved lighting and other amenities in downtown Seattle. There will also be increased patrols of the downtown bus stops by Metro Transit Police officers on bikes. Bellevue Transit Center Bus riders who use the Bellevue Transit Center (BTC) should be aware that many bus routes will change bays on Sept. 24. Bay assignments will be adjusted to ease transfers between routes, and so buses can take advantage of new HOV ramps to and from Interstate 405. Routes with new BTC bay assignments are: 230, 232, 233, 237, 240, 249, 253, 261, 271, and Sound Transit 530, 532, 535, 555, new route 556, 560, 564, 565. Route 140 Improvements are being made to weekend frequency on Route 140. Additional service will be added to both Saturday and Sunday schedules. This busy route serves the Burien Transit Service, Sea-Tac Airport, Southcenter Mall, the Tukwila commuter rail station, and the Renton Transit Center. For an overview of all the transit changes, visit Metro Online. New timetables for all routes will be posted online this Friday, Sept. 23; they are already available on buses and at Metro information racks. Also, look for Metro and Sound Transit employees street teaming this week and next. The street teamers will have brochures and timetables to hand out, and can answer many of your questions about transit service changes. Or, call Metro’s Rider Information Office at (206) 553-3000 from 5 a.m. to midnight Monday through Friday, or from 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. TTY users can call 206-684-1739. |
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