Have you heard? The cherry blossoms are in full bloom on the University of Washington (UW) Seattle campus, and people are flocking to see them! If you’re planning to go in the next few weeks, please consider riding transit, biking, walking, or rolling, if it’s possible for you.
While today may be April Fool’s Day (April 1), these cherry blossom trees are no joke – they’re seriously beautiful! And so is saving travel time by avoiding traffic, so you can enjoy more time out celebrating these awe-inspiring blossoms, while marking the start of springtime in Seattle – a greatly treasured seasonal tradition!
Here are a few transit and other travel options for you to consider – particularly the Sound Transit light rail and King County Metro buses that serve the UW Seattle campus.
Travel options:
- Light rail: Two light rail stations near the UW Seattle campus make it a breeze to get there. This includes the U District Station on NE 45th St and the University of Washington Station near Husky Stadium.
- Bus: If you don’t live near a light rail station, multiple bus routes can get you to the U District and UW campus – you can plan your trip using King County Metro’s online trip planner tool by entering your starting and ending locations.
- Biking, walking, or rolling: As the weather improves with warmer, lighter days, we also encourage you to consider biking, walking, or rolling to campus, if that is an option for your trip or you’re coming from somewhere close.
- Driving: If you need to drive, it might be worth using an alternate route such as NE 50th St instead of NE 45th St, which can sometimes see traffic jams during high travel volume periods. Please also consider carpooling if you’re going with family or friends.
While in the U District, grab a beverage or enjoy some food at one of the many local restaurants on the Ave that offer various seasonal specials through April 10! You can find all the details on the U District Partnership’s Cherry Blossom Festival web page.
We recognize that the U District is a busy place with thousands of students, Husky home sports games, a vibrant commercial district, the Burke Museum, and much more. That’s why we are working with our transit partners to improve access.
We are currently working on upgrading traffic signals and installing new traffic cameras in the area (known as an “Intelligent Transportation System”), which will help the streets in the area be more responsive to traffic flow and help with congestion. Another benefit of this upgraded system is that we’ll be able to remotely operate the signals and adjust their timing in real time, as needed. Construction on these signal upgrades began last fall, and we expect to complete work this spring.
We will also be installing new eastbound bus lanes on NE 45th St to improve transit reliability for the Route 44 bus. For more information, please visit our University District Transportation Technology & Safety Improvements web page.