It’s time to say farewell to the SR 99 Alaskan Way Viaduct – the stretch of highway along the Seattle waterfront. The longest major highway closure the Puget Sound Region has ever seen is slated to begin 10 PM on Friday, January 11, 2019, when SR 99 will close from South Spokane St to the south end of the Battery Street Tunnel. Seattle is entering a new era of tough traffic and we’re working to find creative solutions for reducing congestion. #Realign99
99 problems but a viaduct ain’t one.
▶️ Do you live in, ⏩⏩⏩⏩ work in, ⏩⏩⏩⏩ or visit downtown? ?⏬
Have you ever hailed a ride with Lyft, ReachNow, or Uber to get there? Well, now you can switch to transit for the portion of your trip that goes through downtown Seattle and save $2.75—the price of a one-way transit ticket—off the price of your rideshare trip on the other end! For some of you whose employer subsidizes your ORCA transit card, this is sort of a bonus! Inserting an ORCA and Commute Seattle plug here:
To assist employers, Commute Seattle, (a nonprofit Transportation Management Association funded by the Downtown Seattle Association, yours truly (SDOT), King County Metro, and Sound Transit), will be providing free, personalized tools for Seattle-area employers to plan ahead for the #SeattleSqueeze.
Together with King County Metro and Sound Transit, we’re collaborating with three of the region’s rideshare companies—Lyft, ReachNow, and Uber—to offer this discount as part of our efforts to reduce drive-alone trips to and from the downtown Center City during the closure of the Alaskan Way Viaduct.
How is this all going to work?
From December 17, 2018, through February 15, 2019, ridehailing trips to and from select light rail stations and transit centers outside of Center City will receive a $2.75 discount to cover the cost of riders taking transit.
New and existing rideshare users will be able to access the discount through their preferred mobile apps. In most cases, discounts will be applied automatically to qualifying trips. For more details about promo codes and information for first-time users, visit www.seattletraffic.org/RideshareToTransit.
Where will the discount apply?
Light rail stations and transit centers from the University of Washington station to further north and from Beacon Hill station to further south. Rides to and from these locations will receive a $2.75 discount to cover the cost of taking transit the rest of the way into downtown Seattle. Take a look and see if a transit hub near you is covered. CLICK THIS MAP. ?
Want more info?
Visit our website to find more information about the pilot, as well as detailed trip-planning tools and live traffic updates to get you through the #SeattleSqueeze. Still, have questions? Contact Margo Dawes (margo.dawes@seattle.gov) or Kelly Rula (kelly.rula@seattle.gov) to get them answered.