Metro Weekend Update - March 18 service change; SR 520 bridge closure reroute; Transit Appreciation Week; RapidRide H Line launches; and more;
King County, Washington sent this bulletin at 03/17/2023 06:57 PM PDT
Remember, “It’s a great day to ride Metro” to get to events and activities where there is often traffic congestion and limited parking.
Weekend Service Impacts
Temporary Stop Closure for Routes 7, 106, and 107; Stop #9000 Rainier Avenue S & S Henderson Street (Southbound) closed from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 19;
Temporary Stop Closure for Routes 36, and 60;Stop #3570 12th Avenue S & S Judkins Street (Northbound) closed from Saturday, March 18 through Sunday, March 19 at all times, due to construction;
Temporary Construction Reroute for Routes 101 and 150; Transit service will be rerouted off 4th Avenue between Union Street and Pike Street from Saturday, March 18 at 8 a.m. to Sunday, March 19 at 5 p.m. due to construction; traveling via 3rd Avenue instead;
Temporary Construction Reroute for Routes 255, 271, ST 542; Transit service will be rerouted rerouted off of the SR 520 off-ramp to Montlake Boulevard NE from Friday, March 17 at 10 p.m. to Monday, March 20 at 5 a.m. due to construction;
Temporary Construction Reroute for Routes ST 545; Transit service to Redmond will be rerouted off 4th Avenue between Union Street and Stewart Street from Saturday, March 18 at 8 a.m. to Sunday, March 19 at 5 p.m. due to construction;
Temporary Construction Reroute for Routes ST 554; Transit service to Downtown Seattle will be rerouted off 4th Avenue between Union Street and Virginia Street from Saturday, March 18 at 8 a.m. to Sunday, March 19 at 5 p.m. due to construction;
Temporary Construction Reroute for Routes ST 550; Transit service to Seattle will be rerouted off 4th Avenue between Union Street and Pike Street from Saturday, March 18 at 8 a.m. to Sunday, March 19 at 5 p.m. due to construction;
Take transit to all your sporting events in Seattle this weekend. Metro and Link Light Rail serves riders heading to T-Mobile Park, Husky Stadium, Lumen Field and Climate Pledge Arena;
The Seattle Kraken will have a match at the Climate Pledge Arena at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 18;
Seattle Center Monorailwill operate on the normal schedule this weekend. The Monorail will depart approximately every 10 minutes;
Water Taxi continues its seven-day-a-week service throughout the winter. The seven-day-a-week service will run from approximately 6 a.m. weekdays (8:30 a.m. weekends) to 7 p.m.;
Please be aware that during our winter sailing season, King Tides or high winds could create conditions that impact schedules. It may be necessary to reduce speed to protect the vessel on the Vashon route. More information;
We recommend riders arrive at their bus stop a few minutes before the scheduled departure time of their trip;
Riders can use Text for Departures by texting their stop number to 62550 to get next departure times;
Remember, it's free and easy to sign up for email or text alerts about King County Metro service. Alerts can be tailored to your favorite route(s).
On Saturday, March 18, King County Metro will revise bus schedules, upgrade Route 120 to become RapidRide H Line and bus trips will be added to 18 bus routes funded by the Seattle Transit Measure.
Riders traveling along the 12-mile corridor between Burien, White Center, Delridge and downtown Seattle will experience upgrades to transit stations and improvements to speed and reliability as Route 120 becomes the RapidRide H Line, Metro’s seventh RapidRide line.
RapidRide H Line will bring additional weekday and weekend service and operate trips every 7 to 15 minutes on weekdays from 4 a.m. to Midnight and trips every 15 minutes on weekends from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.
More trips, funded by the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) thanks to the voter-approved Seattle Transit Measure, are planned for 18 bus routes: 3, 4, 28, 33, 36, 40, 44, 48, 50, 65, 67, 70, 73, 106, 107, and RapidRide C, D and E lines. By adjusting schedules, Metro has been able to deliver these added trips with existing transit operators.
King County Metro celebrates launch of RapidRide H Line
King County Executive Dow Constantine joined city, county, and community leaders today to celebrate the launch of RapidRide H Line, Metro’s seventh RapidRide line. Transit improvements spanning 12 miles from downtown Seattle to Burien will upgrade the speed, reliability, and customer experience for 6,000 daily riders of the current Route 120.
Investments in new transit stations, bus lanes, and traffic signal upgrades are ready for riders along the RapidRide H Line corridor, totaling $154.1 million between Metro, Seattle, and Burien. Improvements span the entire corridor between downtown Seattle, Delridge and West Seattle, White Center, and Burien.
RapidRide is Metro’s premier bus service, offering riders real-time information signs, convenient off-board and all-door ORCA payment and 10-minute service operating most of the day. Metro launched the A Line in 2010 and operates six lines throughout King County. Additional expansions are planned in the coming years, including the G, J and R lines in Seattle, the I Line in Renton, Kent and Auburn, and the K Line in Kirkland and Bellevue. Long-range plans map out additional lines in the alphabet of routes in key areas across King County.
Artists design limited-edition ORCA cards, future sculpture installation in Burien
4Culture and King County Metro have commissioned two public art projects in celebration of the RapidRide H Line launch: limited-edition ORCA cards and a signature sculpture installation.
In June 2020, artists Elisheba Johnson and Kristen Ramirez (working as Johnson|Ramirez) submitted a groundbreaking art plan for the RapidRide expansion program. Ramirez passed away after the conceptual development was finalized and Johnson refined and formalized details. The artwork is being fabricated and will be installed later this year. The Sky Remembers You, three mirrored sky viewers etched with lines of poetry, will be positioned at the northwest corner of the Burien Transit Center on Fourth Avenue Southwest.
Limited-edition ORCA cards
Three exceptional emerging artists have designed a series of limited-edition ORCA cards.
Each artist’s work is distinct and features imagery tied to the contexts, histories, cultures, and communities of the H Line as well as the forthcoming G and I Lines. The cohort, Jovita Mercado (RapidRide H Line), Yasiman Ahsani (RapidRide G Line), and Rey Daoed (RapidRide I Line), was supported by mentor artists Angelina Villalobos and Jesse Brown, who assisted them in their research and proposal development.
These special ORCA cards will be distributed at community events and made available at the King Street Center Pass Sales Office throughout 2023 (while supplies last), beginning with Mercado’s H Line design.
It’s officially Transit Appreciation Week in King County, thanks to a proclamation from the King County Council recognizing transit employees who keep the region and its economy moving forward everyday.
Councilmember Rod Dembowski spoke of Metro being the “most visible function of King County.” Dembowski, sponsor of the proclamation also highlighted Metro’s important role in providing mobility and opportunity to millions of riders through the years.
Metro’s 2021 Operator of the Year, Terry Moon, accepted the proclamation alongside Ernest Kandilige, Metro’s interim Deputy General Manager.
Terry Moon understands as Operator of the Year he represents the over 2,500 operators who are the face of Metro, its “rolling ambassadors,” and thanked members for honoring him and his fellow operators.
Transit Appreciation Week runs through March 18, when Metro celebrates Transit Operator Appreciation Day! What are the best ways to say thanks?
Thank your bus operator, Access driver, rail operator, streetcar operator or Water Taxi crew member. Use the hashtag #ThanksMetro and give them a shout-out on social media.
Download this sign and wave it at your bus stop or take a photo and tag Metro’s Twitter @KingCountyMetro.
Senator Murray recognized as champion of public transit
The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) is honoring Senator Patty Murray as one of its 2023 Advocacy Champions.
The award was presented to Murray, chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, during APTA’s Legislative Conference in Washington, DC. The awards recognize Members of Congress who have led efforts to increase investment in our nation’s public transit, passenger rail and multimodal infrastructure and strongly support public transportation.
This year’s recipients were instrumental in enacting the 2022 and 2023 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) Appropriations Acts, Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and COVID-19 emergency relief funding.
