Metro Weekend Update- St Patrick's Day Dash reroutes in Seattle on Sat and Sun; Service Change on March 30; Kraken and Sounders games;
King County, Washington sent this bulletin at 03/15/2024 06:54 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
Routes 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 28, 40, 62, ST 554 and RapidRide C and E Line will be rerouted in downtown Seattle during the St Patrick's Day Dash from 5 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Sunday, March 17;
Routes 2, 10, 11, 12, 13, 49, 101, 150, ST 545, ST 550, and ST 554 will be rerouted in portions of downtown Seattle during the St Patrick's Day Parade from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, March 16;
Routes ST 550 and ST 554 will be rerouted at various times from 11 p.m. on Friday, March 15 to 6 a.m. on Sunday, March 17 due to the closure of eastbound I-90 between Seattle and Mercer Island;
The Mercer Island P&R - Bay 2 stop will be missed on Saturday, March 16, from 10 a.m. to 7:15 p.m.;
From 9:30 a.m. until 7:30 p.m., Metro will operate a shuttle every 20 minutes between the South Bellevue Station and the Mercer Island Park-and-Ride;
Routes 230, 231 and 255 will not service stop #70330 Market Street & 20th Avenue W (Southbound) on Sunday, March 17 from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. This stop will be closed during the Kirkland Shamrock Run;
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 Saturday, March 16 at 7 p.m.;
Your ticket to the game is also your bus ticket to Climate Pledge Arena.
The Sounders will have a match at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 16 at Lumen Field;
Schedule updates for travel dates after March 30 will be available on Metro’s Trip Planner in the coming weeks.
March 30 service change highlights
Routes with schedule changes: 5, 10, 21, 28, 45, 56, 57, 75, 118, 119, DART 631, DART 914, RapidRide A Line and RapidRide H Line.
Vashon Island routes 118 and 119 will have new midday trips on weekdays to better connect to ferry service and meet customer demand during the midday.
Routes that have changes to their bus stops: 153, 221, RapidRide F Line.
Route 221 will use new bus stops including Overlake Station, effective March 30 which will be served by Sound Transit 2 Line service beginning April 27.
Bus ridership is growing across King County and Metro has capacity to meet increased demand. Starting Aug. 31, Metro will increase and improve bus service for Sound Transit’s future Lynnwood Link 1 Line expansion and the launch of the RapidRide G Line in Seattle.
Make your voice heard on ideas for Aurora Ave. N. as Seattle continues safety upgrades
Aurora Ave. N. is one of Seattle’s busiest streets, connecting many neighborhoods, businesses, and travelers every day. We are sharing several ideas to help envision potential future improvements along Aurora Ave. N. These early sketches would require additional outreach, design, and funding to further develop and implement.
This year, we are also continuing to build immediate safety enhancements such as a new walk signal in Bitter Lake, widening and repainting crosswalks, and more center medians to reduce conflicts at intersections. This will add to recently installed safety improvements which give pedestrians a head start to cross the street and prevent cars from turning into crosswalks during red lights.
Immediate safety improvements in 2024
While we consider the future of Aurora Ave. N., we’re also building several near-term safety improvements.
King County Metro green lights contract for 89 new battery-electric buses, growing its zero-emission fleet
King County Metro signed a five-year contract with GILLIG to purchase battery-electric buses to continue the agency’s transition to a zero-emission fleet.
GILLIG is a leading manufacturer of heavy-duty transit buses based in Livermore, California and has been family-owned since 1890. Metro’s contract with GILLIG includes an initial $111 million order of 89 battery-electric buses. The contract is for the procurement of up to 500 vehicles. Metro will have the option to purchase up to 395 buses through this contract, with the remaining coaches made available for purchase by other regional transit agencies.
The vehicles will join the current fleet of 51 battery-electric buses already in service. They will also be the first buses to have Metro’s new livery, colors that will be a mix of electric yellow and seafoam blue.
Earlier this month, Metro celebrated the groundbreaking of Interim Base, where these new buses will be maintained and charged. Tukwila was intentionally chosen as the location for Interim Base — and for the South Base Test Facility that preceded it — so that the next-generation clean air buses would serve communities in south King County, where air pollution is currently higher than elsewhere in the region.
March 17-23 is Transit Appreciation Week, which recognizes and celebrates everyone who contributes to the operation of one of the best transit systems in America: Metro! A highlight of the week is Transit Operator Appreciation Day on Monday, March 18.
Our operators—bus drivers, light rail and streetcar operators, Metro Flex drivers and Water Taxi captains and crew—are the most visible faces you see every day, but our regional mobility system has more than 5,200 people working to get you where you need to go comfortably and safely, 24/7. Whether you ride daily or use one of our mobility options for a trip to the store, a medical appointment, or a night on the town, all of Metro’s employees work together to get you where you need to go.
Transit Appreciation Week is an opportunity to acknowledge all the transit employees who keep our fleets moving. We want to introduce, recognize and thank all the Metro staff that you might not see, but who are vital to the smooth operation of your trip.
Transit Appreciation week is also your opportunity to say thank you to anyone and everyone at Metro.
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 X feed @KingCountyMetro.
