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Metro improves connections between communities
Signs are going up for Metro's new Route 182 in Federal Way.
It is one of 10 new routes starting up on Sept. 27.
King County Metro Transit updates its
routes and scheduling three times a year to improve service and keep up with the
changing needs of transit passengers. The next service change begins on
Saturday, Sept. 27.
This particular service change focuses mostly on
North King
County and
Federal
Way - with some revisions to service in other areas:
- The bus network in North King County is being redesigned to make it easier
to get around in Shoreline, Lake Forest Park, and North Seattle. There will be
better east-west connections, improved local service, and more trips on
high-ridership routes.
There will be nine new routes on the north end, and some existing routes
will be discontinued. Metro feels it will be able to more efficiently
serve passengers by blending most of those routes into other service, or
replacing them with one of the new routes. This restructuring also means that
many of the local routes in North King County will have new route numbers.
That is why it’s important for riders to check out the changes ahead of time.
Routes being discontinued in North King County are: 16 Express, 78, 302,
314, 315, 317, 341, 370, 377 and 943.
- In the Federal Way area, changes are being made to provide better travel
connections between Federal Way and Northeast Tacoma, Sea-Tac, and downtown
Seattle. More buses will serve the Twin Lakes Park-and-Ride lot, and the new
Route 182 is being added to provide service along Southwest 356th
Street.
Several Federal Way-area routes will be changed, and some will be
discontinued. Other local routes will replace that service. Discontinued
routes are: 176, 178, and 188.
- In Seattle, the Route 16 Express is being partially replaced by the new
Route 316, and the Route 78 will be mostly replaced by the new Route 373.
There will also be schedule adjustments or route changes for Routes 5, 26, 37
Express, 38, 64, 75, and 77.
On Aurora Avenue North, Metro is working closely with the State Department
of Transportation and the cities of Shoreline and Seattle on both short-term
and long-term improvements to improve transit flow and ridership; and to
improve pedestrian and traffic safety.
With the September service change, passengers on Route 358 – which travels
the length of Aurora – will see service increased to every 15 minutes on
weekdays and Saturdays. Service will operate every 20-minutes on Sundays.
Metro is also installing improved bus shelters, with lighting and garbage
cans. And, there will be more technology to assist riders with schedule
information that will be unveiled in October in two locations on Aurora North.
- In South King County, Metro is making changes to better coordinate with
Sound Transit commuter rail service. In anticipation of future changes to the
Sounder schedule, weekday trips for Metro Routes 110, 140, 150, 151 and 152
operating through the Auburn, Kent and Tukwila stations is being revised. Most
of the revised trips will arrive earlier at the stations, so passengers should
check the new orange timetables for specific changes.
- On the Eastside, there will only be minor adjustments. Route 167 will no
longer serve the Bellevue Transit Center due to the Bellevue Access
construction. There will be added commuter service on Route 271 between the
Eastgate Park-and-Ride and the Bellevue Transit Center. And, there will be
routing changes for Route 342 in downtown Bellevue.
Special Rider Alert brochures – along with timetables for new routes – will
be available Sept. 18. Look for detailed information after Sept. 18 on buses, in
the racks near the front of the coach, and at Metro information displays,
libraries, and work sites. Timetables for the new routes are already available
on Metro Online. Updates for existing routes will be posted online on Sept. 26.
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Reminder: Northeast 124th
Street is closed for two more weeks
A section of
Northeast 124th
Street, north of Redmond is currently closed to through traffic between
Willows Road and State Route 202 (Redmond-Woodinville Road). Local access to
businesses along Northeast 124th Street remains open.Motorists should follow
the marked detour along Willows Road, Northeast 116th Street, 154th Place
Northeast, and SR 202. Extra flaggers are now on duty near the entrance to the
60 Acres Soccer Complex on weekdays from approximately 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., and on
weekends from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The road is scheduled to be closed until 7 p.m. on Thursday, October 2.
During the closure, King County Road Services are installing a culvert under the
roadway in preparation for a larger project to widen and improve Northeast 124th
Street. Also in preparation for that larger project, there will be a six-block
closure of the street just east of SR 202 from Oct. 6-13.
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Partnership would improve Auburn-area
traffic flow
King County Executive Ron Sims is asking the county council
to approve an
innovative agreement that will bring significant signal and technology
improvements along busy Auburn Way South and South 277th Street.
An "Intelligent Transportation System" (ITS) in this location is designed to
improve traffic flow in the two corridors, and also provide motorists with new
technology tools to help them better plan their trips.
The proposed agreement calls for a $500,000 investment by the
King County Road Services Division
to support a city of Auburn project to synchronize traffic signals on Auburn Way
South and South 277th Street. The city will also install traffic
cameras at selected intersections within the two corridors. Those cameras will
allow motorists to monitor congestion on King County’s "My
Commute" Web site maintained by the county’s transportation department.
Those images will help motorists better manage their trips and take alternate
routes when back-ups do occur.
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'Live Chat' a big hit
Metro’s Lost & Found "live
chat" has been a big hit with customers trying to find items they have left
behind on buses. Since late June, there have been almost 500 online chat
sessions between passengers and Metro staff, and many happy reunions between
owners and their missing items.The customer responses have been overwhelming
positive. People like the technology because they can multi-task while
participating in an online session. One customer said it was quick and
efficient, and much better than waiting on hold "listening to elevator music."
Another customer said they liked it because they didn't have to pay long
distance charges when trying to retrieve a lost item from Idaho.
With the start of school, the Lost & Found office is always
overwhelmed with backpacks, lunch boxes, books, jackets and even a trombone or
too. If you think you’ve lost something on a Metro bus, why not try chatting?
The service is available on weekdays from 9 am to 11:30 am and 1:30 pm to 5 pm
(5:30 pm on Mondays).
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Get ready for some football
The
Huskies and
Seahawks
are back in town this weekend to play some football. The more the two teams keep
winning, the bigger the crowds are getting. Two weeks ago,
Metro Transit transported 31,546 fans
to the opening games for both teams.
Why not beat the crowds to the game by taking one of the special shuttles
Metro is offering for fall football? Most of the service is the same as last
year, with one exception for the Huskies. In cooperation with the University of
Washington, a successful new service from Kingsgate Park-and-Ride was initiated
to ease overcrowding at South Kirkland and Houghton park-and-rides and improve
options for the fans.
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Metro's award winners
Metro Transit employee Tomi Geivett, a transit planner from the Accessible
Services group, was given a place on this year's Wall of Fame at the recent
Washington State Department of Transportation conference in Spokane. She was
recognized for her work on the State Transportation Roadeo Committee, working to
ensure a high quality event for fixed route and paratransit drivers.
Sandy Stutey, the supervisor of Accessible Services, received an achievement
award at the state conference for "valuable contributions made to the Special
Needs Transportation industry." And, Anne Ward, from Metro’s Rideshare
Operations, was also recognized for her work by Washington State Ridesharing
Organization.
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Roadwork ahead
Here is a list of King County Department of Transportation projects that may disrupt traffic and travel this week:
Northeast 124th
Street, north of Redmond – Northeast 124th Street between
Willows Road and State Route 202 (Redmond-Woodinville Road) will be closed to
through traffic until 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 2. Motorists should follow the
marked detour along Willows Road, Northeast 116th Street, 154th
Place Northeast, and SR 202;
West Snoqualmie Valley Road, west of Duvall – A half-mile section of West
Snoqualmie Valley Road, just south of the Woodinville-Duvall Road, will be
closed from 6 a.m. Monday, Sept. 8 to 4:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 26 while crews
install a culvert under the roadway;
Southeast 152nd Street, near Tiger Mountain – About 100 feet of
Southeast 152nd Street west of Tiger Mountain Road will be closed
from 8 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 10 to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 30 to replace a
culvert;
SW 216th Street, Vashon Island – A four-block stretch of Southwest 216th
Street on Vashon Island will be closed until Sept. 19. During the closure, crews
will be replacing a culvert under the roadway. Motorists can detour via
Southwest 204th Street;
North
Fork Bridge, near North Bend – One lane of the North
Fork Bridge on 428th Avenue Southeast over the North Fork of the
Snoqualmie River is now open. The two-lane bridge has been closed since July 7
for a major seismic upgrade. Final completion of the project is expected in late
September;
West Snoqualmie Valley Road, east of Carnation – The road continues to be
closed between Ames Lake-Carnation Road and Northeast 80th Street for
a culvert replacement project through Sept. 22;
Skykomish
River Bridge near the Money Creek Campground, west of the town of
Skykomish, will be closed through late September;
Dockton Road Southwest on Vashon Island — Closed through September, while crews rebuild the seawall;
Preston Bridge — Southeast 82nd Street over the Raging River is closed through October.
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DOT Dash