information from King County Metro

On Saturday, February 2, Metro Transit will be both a primary transportation resource for - and significantly affected by - the SR 99 Tunnel Grand Opening Step Forward event.  

Service areas expected to be most affected are downtown Seattle, Belltown, Seattle Center and SODO, however, major events and associated delays or other impacts can affect transit service in many other areas as well.

Ride transit to and from the WSDOT Realign99 Step Froward event

With as many as 100,000 visitors expected to join the event and very limited parking in the SR 99 tunnel portal areas, intending event participants are encouraged to plan ahead, travel early, ride transit or share rides and allow plenty of time..

Review event information

Transit riders and drivers who are planning to attend the event should thoroughly review the information posted on the WSDOT website under the ‘Grand Opening’ tab and determine the locations at which they want to enter and exit the event.

Event shuttle buses

On Saturday, from 11:00 AM until about 6:30 PM, Metro will provide free shuttle bus service from the South Hub to the North portal entrance. Riders may board the shuttle buses northbound on E Frontage Rd S, west of 1st Av S and just south of S Royal Brougham Way.

Plan your trip

Then, using Metro’s online trip planner, which may include using its service area map, Route Schedules, Next Departures & Stops, Tracker or other features, determine the itineraries necessary to get to and from your desired portal points.

Service exceptions

Be aware of reroutes that may affect trip plans

When planning transit trips for this event, be sure to note the ‘Alert!’ symbols that may be associated with routes or stops used in the plan.

Initial trip plans are based on long-term scheduled data. Planned and unplanned short-term service reroutes and disruptions are not incorporated into the initial itinerary, but rather are marked with an ‘Alert!’ symbol.

Once trip plan itineraries to and from the event have been determined, visit Metro’s Service Advisories page to find out about the designated alerts and any exceptions to the information in the itinerary.

Due to expected crowds and traffic in the event portal areas, most bus routes that usually go closer to those areas will be rerouted in order to best maintain service levels.  It is likely that event-goers will still use the same routes, but different, temporary stops, and walk a few blocks farther to or from the event portals.

The posted service advisories include a list of the regular stops that are missed while on reroute and the locations of stops that will be made, so trip planner visitors can determine walking paths from the map.

Weekend bus reroutes associated with SR 99 events

From Friday, February 1 at 10:00 PM, through Monday, February 4 at 5:00 AM, Metro routes 3, 4, 5, 21, 26, 28, 131, 132 and the RapidRide E Line will be rerouted for this event, and will travel instead via alternate nearby streets, depending on the route, destination and direction of travel. Reroutes and their start and end times are subject to change.

Additional transit services

King County Water Taxi

King County’s West Seattle Water Taxi will operate on a special schedule on Saturday, providing service from 5:55 AM until 7:00 PM. The Water Taxi will operate a special event schedule, providing service every 35-40 minutes between Seacrest Park and Pier 52.

While there is quite a bit of capacity on the Water Taxi boats, the Route 773 and 775 West Seattle Water Taxi shuttle buses will not operate on Saturday, and there is no other regular Saturday bus service to Sea Crest Dock.

Parking for 250 vehicles and associated free shuttle service to and from Seacrest Dock is available at the Pier 2 parking lot on Harbor Av SW.  Note that the Pier 2 parking will be closed and locked for the weekend on Saturday evening at 7:45 PM and re-opens Monday morning.  There are signs posted to that effect.

Water Taxi riders are otherwise encouraged to share rides, plan to be dropped off and picked up, bike or walk to the dock.

Link light rail

Whether you are starting from the University of Washington, downtown Seattle, Beacon Hill, the Rainier Valley or south King County, riding Link light rail is a great way to get to the SR-99 Grand Opening event.

The Link corridor is served by parking capacity at Angle Lake and Tukwila International Blvd stations - and by Metro or Sound Transit bus routes at every station - that make connections from many other areas.

Transit Fares

With the exception of the free shuttle from the South Hub, all transit rides require payment of a valid fare.  What and how to pay are dependent on the mode, distance and time of travel.

While the regional ORCA card is the most popular method of fare payment, especially for regular riders, and is available at many locations (but not on the bus) infrequent riders may want to try the Transit GO mobile ticketing app, a fast and easily downloadable fare payment solution available on smart mobile devices, for payment of fare on Metro Transit buses, Link light rail, Sounder trains and the Seattle Streetcar. 

Sound Transit Express buses – such as routes ST 522, ST 545, ST 550 and ST 554 - are not currently included in the Transit GO program.

Alaskan Way Viaduct Closure transit service revisions

The current routing for Metro routes 21 Express, 37, 55, 56, 57, 113, 120, 121, 122, 123, 125 and the RapidRide C Line will continue after the SR 99 Tunnel opening, and will eventually be revised to travel via the new Dearborn Street ramps and First Avenue South for approximately one year until the completion of the Alaskan Way Viaduct demolition and other associated street projects.

Construction

Known construction-related impacts to transit service are posted in Metro’s online Service Advisories table and sent to Transit Alert subscribers.  It’s a good idea to sign up for Transit Alerts or otherwise check for a service advisory before you travel.

Transit service during unexpected or civic events

In areas where there are transit service disruptions due to crowds, traffic, weather or civic events, transit riders are advised to

- Be aware of conditions in their immediate vicinity, such as street closures, detours, police directions, etc.

- Be prepared for delays or to make revisions to travel plans, such as traveling at a different time or using a different bus stop   or route, depending on specific circumstances

- Be prepared for unexpectedly revised traffic or routing, and for delays in transit service. 

- Know the alternate stops or routes that may be in the vicinity of their starting points and destinations. 

Such events may be scheduled or unexpected, and may disrupt normal travel patterns or activities. 

While every effort will be made to keep riders informed of Metro’s service status, depending on the time and the nature of such events, Metro may not be able to provide real-time information or service updates via email or text.

During such events, Metro will also be following police direction or other applicable protocols, with safety as the first concern, and will work to maintain or restore service as soon as possible.

Event start and end times and other details may be unknown or subject to change. 

Additional information

Visit Metro’s website for complete information about Metro and regional transportation services. 

See Metro’s Service Advisories page for information about revised Metro bus service, routing and stops for most planned events.

Sign up for Transit Alerts or check for a service advisory before you travel.

Visit Metro’s online or mobile regional Puget Sound Trip Planner to plan your travel, and for information about bus stops, schedules, predicted times at stops and other information.

Use Metro’s text for departures tool. Text your transit stop ID to 62550 to find out when the next transit service is scheduled or predicted at your stop.

Visit the King County Water Taxi site for information about regular and holiday Water Taxi operation.

Visit the Community Transit, Pierce Transit, Sound Transit or Washington State Ferries websites for information about services provided by Metro’s regional transit partners. 

For non-transit traffic or other local updates, check media sources, follow @seattledot or visit

- https://twitter.com/seattledot 

- https://twitter.com/SeattlePD