Metro Weekend Update - Link 1 Line disruptions; Construction reroutes; Unregistered Youth ORCA cards expire on Feb 1; and more;
King County, Washington sent this bulletin at 01/26/2024 05:37 PM PST
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
Routes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 13, 14, 21, 24, 27, 28, 33, 40, 62, 124, 131, 132, and RapidRide C, D, E, H and Lines will have stop #420 3rd Avenue & Virginia Street (Southbound) relocated Saturday, January 27 and Sunday, January 28 all day due to construction;
Routes 1, 7, 13, 36, 62, and 70 will have stop #1530 S Jackson Street & 5th Avenue S (Westbound) closed on Saturday, January 27 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. due to construction;
Routes 3 and 4 will have stop #4370 Boston Street & 1st Avenue N (Westbound) and stop #3930 Boston Street & Queen Anne Avenue N (Eastbound) closed from on Saturday, Jan 27 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. due to construction;
Routes 1, 7, 13, 36, 62, and 70 will have stop #1530 S Jackson Street & 5th Avenue S (Westbound) closed on Saturday, January 27 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. due to construction;
Routes 101, 150, ST 545, ST 550, and ST 554 will have stop #620 4th Avenue S & S Jackson Street (Northbound) relocated on Saturday, Jan 27 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. due to construction;
Route 239 will be rerouted off of NE 85th Street between 6th Street and 120th Avenue NE nightly 11 p.m. to 5 a.m., from Friday, January 26 to Sunday, January 28 due to construction;
Route 250 will be rerouted off of NE 85th Street between 6th Street and 120th Avenue NE nightly 11 p.m. to 5 a.m., from Friday, January 26 to Sunday, January 28 due to construction;
South Lake Union Streetcar service will not operate from Saturday, January 27 through Sunday, January 28 due to utility work;
Take transit to all your holiday, sporting and community events in Seattle. Metro and Link light rail serves riders heading to T-Mobile Park, Husky Stadium, Lumen Field and Climate Pledge Arena;
The Kraken will have a game at the Climate Pledge Arena on Friday, January 26 at 7 p.m. and on 6 p.m. on Sunday, January 28;
Your ticket to the game is also your bus ticket to Climate Pledge Arena.
Seattle Center Monorailwill be open normal hours this Saturday and will have extended hours Sunday 8:30 a.m. - 10 p.m. The Monorail will depart approximately every 10 minutes;
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).
Riders need to prepare for Link service disruptions Jan. 13 to Feb. 4
Link light rail passengers should prepare for three weeks of disruptions starting Saturday, January 13 through end of service Sunday, February 4 as Sound Transit undertakes several projects to improve service.
Trains will run less frequently on weekdays and shuttle buses will replace Link between Capitol Hill and SODO stations on weekends.
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-Weekends: during this period, trains will run every 15 minutes between Northgate–Capitol Hill and between SODO–Angle Lake. Bus shuttles every 10-15 minutes will replace trains between Capitol Hill–SODO and serve all closed stations.
-Weekdays:1 Line trains will run only every 26 minutes between Northgate and Angle Lake. Additional weekday trains will run between Northgate–University of Washington, and between Stadium–Angle Lake, for combined service every 13 minutes in these areas.
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-Stay alert: During weekdays, passengers who board at stations outside of Capitol Hill or downtown Seattle will need to stay alert to which train they choose. Half of the trains will serve all stations along the 1 Line, while the other half will terminate at either University of Washington or Stadium stations. If your destination is downtown or Capitol Hill, you may wait for the full-service train, or ride the additional service train to UW or Stadium stations, and then wait 13 minutes to transfer to the next train that goes all the way through.
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The work is essential to improve the state of the system and prepare for the growth that is coming later this year and beyond. By scheduling these projects during the time of year when ridership is at its lowest, the hope is to limit impact on riders. Staff will be at stations throughout the disruption to answer questions and help passengers get to their destinations.
As a reminder, youth 18 and younger ride transit for free. For riders 13 and older, using a Youth ORCA card (also known as a Free Youth Transit Pass) is highly encouraged, but not required. Tapping a Youth ORCA card allows transit agencies to better understand how many young people are riding transit, including where and when.
Unregistered Youth ORCA cards will expire and be blocked on February 1. Youth 18 and younger can easily register their card and request reactivation by visiting FreeYouthTransitPass.com or by calling 206-553-3000.
Don’t have a card yet? Youth aged 13 and older are encouraged to order a free Youth ORCA card by visiting www.myorca.com/buy-online/ (the card will automatically be registered when ordered).
A flexible, affordable vanpool will transform your commute
If solo commuting is getting you down and gas prices are emptying your pocket, join a vanpool! King County Metro has a vanpool that suits you and your commute.
Vanpooling is similar to carpooling in which people share the driving and have a common route to work. With a vanpool, though, everything is included for the commute – the van, fuel, tolls, insurance, maintenance, roadside assistance and an emergency ride home program.
What’s an emergency ride home? As a Metro Vanpool or Vanshare participant, you may be reimbursed for emergency situations in which you are unable to ride home with your van. Take a cab, Uber or Lyft home and Metro will reimburse you for the ride. (In some cases, your employer may even reimburse you directly for an emergency ride home.)
Metro has one of the largest vanpool programs in the nation. Metro now has nearly 1,000 vanpool groups on the road—and many new ones forming every week.
Vanpools are flexible. You can vanpool even if you only need to go in a few days each week, do shift work or work weekends. Vanpools are inexpensive, too. The monthly fare for a vanpool is about the same as a monthly bus fare. Many employers subsidize vanpools, saving riders even more money. Check with your HR department!
With all the Metro vanpools traversing the region, the easiest way to start is to join an existing vanpool group. We’ll help you find one
FTA announces $64.2 million federal funds awarded to Seattle for RapidRide J Line Project
The U.S. Federal Transit Administration (FTA) today announced $64.2 million award to the City of Seattle for construction of the RapidRide J Line project. King County Executive Dow Constantine joined U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell, FTA Administrator Nuria Fernandez, and other local leaders to celebrate the FTA award. This project will enhance bus access, reliability, frequency, and station amenities, make proven safety improvements, and upgrade critical infrastructure.
The RapidRide J Line project is a partnership between the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) and King County Metro which will upgrade King County Metro’s Route 70 with improved service. This is one of the most used routes in Seattle and is a vital connection between downtown, Belltown, South Lake Union, Eastlake and the University District. The project will install protected bike lanes and other proven safety enhancements. Service is slated to begin in 2027.
The RapidRide J Line is one of many major transit investments the Levy to Move Seattle is delivering to create a more connected city since being passed by voters in 2016. Other major transit investments include the Madison St – Rapid Ride G line which received nearly $60 million in federal funding, the Delridge Way SW – RapidRide H Line and other Transit-Plus Multimodal Corridors throughout Seattle. The Rapid Ride J line will pass over the newly rebuilt Fairview Ave N Bridge, another key Levy to Move Seattle project which was completed in 2021.
