Metro street team helper assists a passenger with changes on his route.

King County Metro Transit is gearing up for a major service change starting this Saturday, Sept. 25. This particular service change features bus stop relocations for many who travel to or from downtown Seattle, plus some major service revisions - including new bus routes - for the Burien-White Center and Rainier Valley-Tukwila travel corridors.

For some passengers, it will result in big changes and major service improvements. Metro is urging bus riders to familiarize themselves with the changes before they go into effect.

Details for all the service, routing, and bus stop changes are included in a special Rider Alert brochure, new blue timetables, and in Metro Online. Starting on Sept. 23, there will also be street teams of Metro employees stationed in areas impacted by these changes to help bus riders.

The Rider Alert brochures and new blue timetables are now available on buses in racks near the front of the coach. The brochures and timetables are also available at Metro information kiosks, libraries, and work sites. Timetables for brand new routes are already available on Metro Online. Updates for existing routes will be posted online the evening before the service change.

Transit customers trying to do some advance planning can also visit Metro's Online Trip Planner to plan trips that will include the upcoming Metro changes. Enter a travel date on or after Sept. 25 for trips that reflect Metro's new and changed service. The information for some regional trip plans outside of King County may not be complete until Sept 25.

Metro updates its routes and scheduling three times a year in February, June and September to improve service and keep up with the changing needs of transit passengers. Here are the highlights of the upcoming service change:

If you currently board or exit the bus on Olive Way, Second Avenue, or Fourth Avenue in downtown Seattle, your bus may be stopping at a new location beginning Sept. 25. Most bus stops only move about a block, but some routes will be making fewer stops along those streets. Also, there will be a few bus stops downtown that will permanently close, but service will be offered at other nearby stops. Notices have been posted at the stops that will be moved or closed.

These changes are being made to improve transit and traffic flow downtown. This will become even more important next year, when the downtown transit tunnel is closed for major upgrades and retrofitting to accommodate Sound Transit's Link light rail service. The tunnel is expected to be closed for up to two years, and more buses will be using surface streets during that time.

Metro, Sound Transit, the City of Seattle and Community Transit have begun implementing bus service changes and a $16 million package of downtown street improvements in preparation for the tunnel's closure. When the tunnel does close next year, Third Avenue will be dedicated to transit-only during peak commute hours, and most of the actual construction will take place underground.

During this service change, Metro is revising its network of bus routes for Delridge, White Center, Burien, Des Moines, and neighboring areas in order to speed service to and from downtown Seattle. This means new service, revised service, and new bus route numbers for almost all bus riders in this area.

There are similar service revisions for the network of bus routes for Rainier Beach, Capitol Hill, the University District, and neighboring areas in order to make transit service more efficient and reliable. Most of the changes on Sept. 25 focus on routes 7, 9, and 39 - with some other local service adjustments. The revisions will be split between this September's service change, and major changes on routes 7 and 9 scheduled for next June.

For a complete list of all the changes, visit Metro Online, or call Metro Rider Information at (206) 553-3000.

Top

Top

Top

Here is a list of King County Department of Transportation projects that may disrupt traffic and travel in the coming weeks:

Northeast 149th Street at 216th Avenue Northeast, Bear Creek area - Northeast 149th Street will be closed at 216th Avenue Northeast from 8 a.m. Monday, Sept. 20 to 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 24 while crews replace a culvert. Motorists should use alternate routes.

186th Place Northeast, south of Cottage Lake - 186th Place Northeast will be closed from 7 a.m. Monday, Sept. 20 to 4 p.m., Friday, Oct. 1 between Northeast 146th Way and Northeast 145th Street while crews install a new culvert. Motorists can detour via Northeast 146th Way, Avondale Road, and Northeast 143rd Street.

Northeast 124th Street, north of Redmond - Expect periodic traffic delays on Northeast 124th Street near the Sammamish River on Wednesday, Sept. 22 between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. as crews position new bridge girders. Work will continue through October on the entire Northeast 124th Street project between Willows Road and State Route 202.

Maxwell Road Southeast, near Maple Valley - Maxwell Road Southeast will be closed in the 18800 block through Friday, Sept. 24 while crews replace a culvert under the roadway. There will be local access only during the closure.

Duvall Bridge - Crews will be working on a seismic upgrade of the Duvall Bridge on the Woodinville-Duvall Road through September. Most of the work will occur underneath the bridge. Full road or bridge closures are not expected, but flaggers will be controlling truck and equipment traffic.

Wynaco Bridge, east of Auburn - The Wynaco Bridge on 168th Way Southeast is closed through September for repairs and upgrades. Motorists should detour to Auburn-Black Diamond Road and Kent-Black Diamond Road.

Edgewick Bridge, east of North Bend - The Edgewick Bridge on 468th Avenue Southeast remains closed, and traffic has been diverted to a temporary one-lane bridge. The project is expected to last through mid-October.

South 277th Street, between Auburn and Kent - There will be no lane closures, but motorists may experience periodic traffic disruptions on South 277th Street between the West Valley Highway and 72nd Avenue South through October 2005 as a result of this major reconstruction project.

Top