Trailhead Direct’s transit to trails is back!

April 18, 2019 by Jeanne Clark

Ok, hikers and outdoor lovers. The #GreatPNW struggle is real.

You decide it’s a great day for a hike, so you head out into the wild & find upon your arrival that the rest of Seattle has had the same – exact – idea.

Never mind that all the great minds thought like you. How ’bout that parking? Don’t let the day get ruined by the lack of available parking. You won’t need a car. We’re bringing back Trailhead Direct!

Trailhead Direct is a seasonal transit service to popular hiking destinations in King County.

Trailhead Direct is a pilot project in collaboration with our Seattle Transportation Benefit District (STBD), King County Metro, and King County Parks and REI. Not only does this program provide transit service on weekends and most holidays to popular hiking trails in the area, but it also eases vehicle congestion and reduces safety hazards.

There’re 4 great changes happening this Saturday, April 20.

The weather. We’ll get a cloud break. THERE. WILL. BE. SUN. Well, at least that’s what the weather forecasters predict.
The start of Trailhead Direct!! The 2019 season begins on April 20.
The launch of a new Trailhead Direct route to the Sky Country Trailhead at Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park. Check out the details here.
The Trailhead Direct for Mailbox Peak returns with a new service location + stop.

So go ahead and pick your destination. Select your location for all the dirt 😉 from trailhead maps, transit pickup and drop off locations, and maps.

We’re proud to work as a funding partner with King County Metro to provide more mobility options to attractions in the Seattle region.

Funding Trailhead Direct builds on the City of Seattle’s investments in the Seattle transit network where we’ve been able to improve frequency/reliability on 64 other routes.

This program is an opportunity to provide better access for more people to the outdoors. While trail destinations vary in accessibility, Trailhead Direct transit are wheelchair accessible, so all are welcome!

“We are fortunate to live in one of the most beautiful places in the world, and Trailhead Direct makes it easier for all our residents and visitors to access our incredible outdoors using transit. …We are excited about this innovative public-private partnership that is creating new opportunities for all who call Seattle home to get outside and explore our mountains.” – Mayor Jenny Durkan

Thanks to Seattle voters, we’re able to directly purchase transit service for Seattle, providing mobility options to explore the Seattle area.

For more information about Trailhead Direct, please visit the website.

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#MoreMetro = More trips on bus routes for you!

March 27, 2019 by Molly Wright

As of March 23, there are more trips on bus routes with high ridership demand.

The buses are out of the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel, but that’s not the only change that’s happening to our downtown streets! As of March 23, there are more trips on bus routes with high ridership demand serving many parts of Seattle to make transit an even more reliable option during the #SeattleSqueeze and beyond.

Photo by: Jeanne Clark

More daily bus trips to get you where you need to go.

Thanks to the Seattle Transportation Benefit District (STBD), there’re more daily bus trips to get you where you need to go.

Route 40: Added 11 daily trips on weekdays, providing 10-minute or better service from 6 AM – 7 PM
Route 41: Improved Night Owl service (late-night bus service in your neighborhood) on Saturdays
Route 50: Improved weekday midday service with buses coming every 20 minutes
Route 106: Added 48 trips on Sundays, providing 15-minute or better service from 8 AM – 7 PM to match Saturday service levels
Route 120: Added 28 trips on weekdays, providing 10-minute or better service from 6 AM – 7 PM and added 43 trips on Sundays, providing 15-minute or better service from 8 AM – 7 PM to match Saturday service levels

For additional service information on routes 15, 102, 111, 204 and 312, check out King County Metro’s website.

71% of Seattle households are now within a 10-minute walk of 10-minute or better transit service!

With the weekday service improvements on Routes 40 and 120, 71% of Seattle households are now within a 10-minute walk of 10-minute or better transit service, up from just 25% in 2015. We’re excited to partner with Metro to bring you the transit service you need to get around Seattle.

Upgrades on the remaining routes are helping to increase options and access for bus riders at all times of the day, and all days of the week.

STBD helps us improve transit access and options for students, low-income families, + more!

STBD Proposition 1 was passed by Seattle voters in November 2014. Through a $60 vehicle license fee and 0.1% sales tax increase, STBD raises roughly $50 million per year to fund improved King County Metro transit service within Seattle. It helps us improve transit access and options for students, low-income families, and more. Check out the STBD Year 3 Annual Report for more information.

This is just the latest chapter of the Seattle Squeeze.

In case you missed it, March 23 also marked the end of buses operating in the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel (home now to Link light rail-only). All buses that previously operated in the tunnel are now serving stops on downtown surface streets. For more information, check out Metro’s website.

#SeattleSqueeze Alert: More Uniformed Police Officers on downtown streets Mar. 25–27, 2019.

March 25, 2019 by Jeanne Clark

Uniformed Police Officers (UPOs) will be at key downtown intersections to keep cars, transit, and people moving.

To help keep transit moving during the first commute days of the buses coming out of the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel, with the help of our partners at King County Metro and the Seattle Police Department, we’re placing uniformed police officers (UPOs) at key downtown intersections on weekday evenings.

Beginning Monday, March 25, officers will help direct traffic, keeping bus lanes and intersections clear, and keeping cars, transit, and people moving. Officers will not override traffic signals; rather, they will ensure intersections are kept clear. This helps everyone traveling through Seattle at peak commute hours. Our traffic engineers worked closely with our partner agencies to identify the appropriate locations and number of officers staged.

If you’re not a bus, then you (generally) shouldn’t be in the transit lane.

Stay in your lane. If you’re not driving a bus, then you (generally) shouldn’t be in the transit lane. In some instances, you can hop into a bus lane to turn off the street, but for the most part, bus lanes are for buses, so please don’t use them to get around gridlock.

Please, don’t block the box. Keep the intersections clear.

Don’t block the box. Keep the intersections clear. When you pull into an intersection, make sure you can clear it before the signal changes to a red light. Wait your turn. Don’t be that person who holds up traffic and blocks the crosswalk – it’s not safe for anyone involved, plus, it negatively impacts those with mobility challenges. Also, there’s nothing like being honked at and getting the warranted evil eye from people trying to cross the street.

Thanks for doing your part to help keep Seattle moving safely during the #SeattleSqueeze!

#SeattleSqueeze, Seattle’s new normal.

Over the next five years, Seattle’s downtown will be in a state of transition to meet the needs of our growing city and region – #SeattleSqueeze. We’re making changes to our city and to our regional transportation system and help people get where they need to go safely and efficiently. New mobility projects are being developed and constructed to connect communities to downtown with fast, regular service and to create the public spaces our growing region needs. For more information, tools, and resources on #SeattleSqueeze, please visit our website!

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Another new normal. Another new chapter. 7 buses make their final ascent to surface streets.

March 22, 2019 by Jeanne Clark

Image by Wyatt Olson via https://www.instagram.com/cvtydreamer/

Another new normal. Another new chapter.

Tonight, we bid our final farewell as the buses exit stage left and right of the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel platform.

By the time most of you wake up on Saturday morning (3.23.19), seven bus routes will have made their permanent ascent from the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel (DSTT) to Seattle’s surface streets. Another new normal, another new chapter for our growing city as we make changes to accommodate the Washington State Convention Center construction and future Link light rail expansion.

We’ve prioritized transit by streamlining and improving transit operations.

With these additional buses operating on downtown streets, we’ve partnered with King County Metro to streamline and improve transit operations as we continue to squeeze some more, #SeattleSqueeze. Here’s what we’ve delivered and what it means for you:

N E W !

We expanded Third Ave bus-only hours.

We expanded the bus-only hours on Third Ave from Stewart St to just south of Yesler Way. This means for seven days a week, from 6 AM in the morning to 7 PM at night, Third Ave is reserved for buses, bicyclists, and pedestrians.

N E W !

We installed ORCA transit card readers & real-time bus arrival signs.

New ORCA transit card readers and real-time bus arrival signs are at every single stop on Third Ave between Yesler and Denny. This means starting on March 23, you’ll be able to tap your ORCA transit card prior to boarding the bus to speed up your bus on-boarding.

Permanent off-board fare readers are already installed at 21 of the corridor’s 31 bus stops, and installation at the remaining ten stops is scheduled April through December 2019. Until permanent equipment is installed, transit operators will serve as ORCA boarding assistants and will scan riders’ ORCA cards using handheld fare readers at ten stops during weekday commutes between about 3 – 7 PM, the busiest period for boarding on Third.

N E W !

Peak-only bus pathways on 5th & 6th avenues.

To keep transit moving reliably, we installed a new bus pathway on 5^th and 6^th avenues to serve as a PM peak-only bus lane to help buses move travelers north. These buses are traveling to northeast Seattle and the Eastside, and we’re thrilled to be providing a quick and reliable commute for these travelers, as well as working with Metro to make sure our other downtown streets are clear for transit.

The King County Metro routes that will use the pathway include 74, 76, 77, 252, 255, 257, 301, 308, 311, and 316.

If you ride one of these buses, your bus route has changed.

If you ride one of these routes: 41, 74, 76, 77, 101, 102, 150, 252, 255, 257, 301, 308, 311, 316, 550, you will now get on and off at the new bus stops downtown.

NEW MAP: Bus stops on 2^nd to 6^th avenues.

Adjusting and prioritizing transit is a key way to making sure people can keep moving reliably and affordably throughout Seattle. We really appreciate our partners at King County Metro for their collaboration and hard work with us to make these critical transit improvements.

And finally, thank you, again and again, Seattle, for adjusting with us as we grow together as one of the best cities of the world!

#SeattleSqueeze, Seattle’s new normal.

For more information, tools, and resources on #SeattleSqueeze, please visit our website!

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March 23-24: Get ready for round two of closures at S Massachusetts St & 23rd Ave S.

March 22, 2019 by Casey Rogers

This weekend, March 23-24, our work continues from last weekend at the 23rd Ave S and S Massachusetts St intersection to replace the existing concrete panels on S Massachusetts St as part of the larger 23rd Ave Corridor Improvements project. This weekend we’re completing the second half of the project and replacing the concrete panels on the east side of the intersection. Our goal is to improve safety and mobility for people who drive, walk, bike, and take transit in this area.

Here’s what you can expect:

S C H E D U L E

This weekend we’re focusing on the east side of the intersection. Starting at 7 AM on Saturday, we’re closing the east leg of the 23rd Ave S and S Massachusetts St intersection to dig up and remove the old concrete panels, then form, and pour new ones. The road will stay closed Sunday to allow the concrete to cure and will return to normal on Monday, March 25, at 5 AM.

C L O S U R E | D E T O U R

The east leg of the 23rd Ave S and S Massachusetts St intersection will be closed. For the duration of the closure, motorists will be detoured to the arterial. Local access will be maintained along S Massachusetts St between 23rd Ave S and Martin Luther King Jr Way S.

N O I S E

We’ve obtained a noise variance to start work at 7 AM on Saturday. Neighbors will see and hear construction activity throughout the weekend. Thanks for your patience!

Want more information about this project?

Visit our website!

If you have questions or concerns, please contact the project team at 23rdAveCorridor@seattle.gov or call the project information line at 206.727.8857.

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DUDE, WHERE’S MY BUS? Check out our new bus map to help with your commute!

March 21, 2019 by Casey Rogers

Seattle, your bus route is changing. It’s time to prepare.

If you ride one of these routes:

41, 74, 76, 77, 101, 102, 150, 252, 255, 257, 301, 308, 311, 316, 550

You will now get on and off at the new bus stops downtown.

NEW MAP: Bus Stops on 2^nd – 6^th Avenues.

Get ready for the first commute.

Saturday, March 23 marks the first day where commuters who get on and off their bus in the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel will now get on and off their bus on downtown streets. The tunnel is becoming Link light rail-only to support the expansion of the Washington State Convention Center and Link light rail service.

Things are going to feel different downtown.

There will be more buses on downtown streets, more riders getting on and off buses, and a new pathway for buses on 5^th Ave and 6^th Ave. Get ready and make a plan before you go, Seattle – the #SeattleSqueeze isn’t over yet.

If you can, continue to shift your commute and use different ways besides driving alone to get downtown. Biking, taking transit, walking, using the light rail, or carpooling all continue to be great options and help keep our streets clear and traffic volumes low. It takes a village city!

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CHAPTER 1 #SeattleSqueeze Data: Less driving, more transit, more biking!

March 20, 2019 by Jeanne Clark

Image courtesy of Chun Kwan, SDOT.

Approximately 250,000 people commute to and through downtown each day. With the new SR 99 tunnel now open, we’ve been analyzing the data from the closure to understand what went well, how we could have done better, and how we can keep the good changes going during the next chapter of the #SeattleSqueeze. Our entire region came together to take on this challenge and be part of the solution. Here are the results in a nutshell: people drove less, took transit, and biked more. Read on!

. D R I V I N G .

People drove less downtown.

One of our goals during the SR 99 closure was to prevent gridlock by having fewer cars downtown. We can’t say it enough, Seattle, we couldn’t have done it without the collective whole working together.

Peek the data!

We were able to produce comparable data by counting vehicles that came into downtown Seattle from location points north (at Mercer St) and south (at Holgate St) into the center city and compared the numbers to a baseline period back in September 2018. For every single day that SR 99 was closed, fewer vehicles drove into downtown. See that blue line in the data graphic to the right? That’s the baseline volumes in 2018. The green was the daily volumes during the three-week SR 99 closure. You’re the best, Seattle.

. T R A N S I T .

People took transit and shifted their commutes.

Peek the ridership data!

King County Metro tracked daily ridership along major corridors and on the water taxi. Bus and water taxi ridership varied during the closure, but ridership increased during two of the three weeks compared to January 2018. During each week of the closure, the percent of riders during the midday was higher as compared to the same month last year. That means there was a shift from commute times out of the peak/rush hours towards the midday.

Sound Transit’s Link light rail ridership during the three-week viaduct closure was up 14 percent from last year, to more than 79,000 daily boardings.

. T E L E C O M M U T I N G .

People changed their work schedules.

Based on a survey of some of the largest downtown employers, people used telecommuting as a great way to reduce commute trips downtown. We launched an Alternative Work Arrangement Pilot for Chapter 1 of the Seattle Squeeze. The City previously had 12.5 percent of employees that had alternative work arrangements, which included telework or flexible work hours. Now, 30 percent of Citywide employees are participating in alternative work arrangements, with 38 percent in the downtown core.

. B I K I N G .

People biked more.

Peek the bike data!

The number of people biking to and through downtown increased during the SR 99 closure. We installed bike counters at the Spokane St. Bridge, the Fremont Bridge, the Elliot Bay Trail, and 2nd Ave downtown. We saw 40,000 more trips in January 2019 compared to the same time in 2018.

We also expanded our free-floating bike share program and made it permanent. Our data shows that change paid off; we also saw a significant increase in people who used free-floating bike share. Peek the bike share data!

. I N F O | C O N T A C T .

Don’t miss a thing.

Keep up with all things #SeattleSqueeze by visiting our website.

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NEW Peak-Only bus lane on 5th & 6th Avenues installed!

March 13, 2019 by Molly Wright

✨NEW✨ pathway on 5th Ave and 6th Ave to serve as a PM peak-only bus lane to help buses move commuters and travelers north.

Our crews have been working hard to install new striping and remove old markings quickly and safely in time for the next phase of the Seattle Squeeze on March 23, when all buses that use the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel will permanently move to surface streets.

Crews removing old road markings on 5th Ave.

To keep transit moving reliably, we installed a new pathway on 5^th Ave and 6^th Ave to serve as a PM peak-only bus lane to help buses move commuters and travelers north. These buses are traveling to northeast Seattle and the Eastside, and we’re thrilled to be providing a quick and reliable commute for these travelers, as well as working with Metro to ensure our other downtown streets are clear for transit.

The King County Metro routes that will use the pathway include 74, 76, 77, 252, 255, 257, 301, 308, 311, and 316.

Fresh paint drying on 5th Ave.

Here’s the latest.

✔️ COMPLETE: Striping along 5^th Ave and 6^th Ave! Look for white paint and the words “BUS ONLY” to know where the buses will be traveling beginning March 23.

✔️ COMPLETE: Signage has been installed, and a new bus bulb at Union St (where the sidewalk will be extended into the street to make space for people getting on and off transit) has been installed as well.

📅 Bus shelters at 5^th Ave and Marion St will be installed.

Installation of the new PM peak-only bus lane on 5th Ave between Columbia St and Marion St.

Heads up: You will see bus drivers using this lane for practice!

King County Metro drivers will be out on the pathway to practice their driving patterns before the actual service change begins on March 23.

Look for buses Monday – Friday from 7 AM to 3 PM as drivers get used to their new routes! This will ensure that they are prepped and ready once those buses start filling up and they begin carrying commuters to their next destination.

Reminder: keep up those commute changes from January.

Those changes you made in January, like biking, taking transit, or shifting your commute hours? They worked! Traffic volumes remained low across the region and we avoided any major incidents, so thank you, Seattle! We don’t want you to stop now that the tunnel is open, though – public and private construction projects are going to continue to challenge how we get around, so check out our Tools page to find everything you need to change your commute. Keep it up!

Seattle’s new normal – #SeattleSqueeze

For more information, tools, and resources on #SeattleSqueeze, please visit our website!

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In case you missed it, the NEW BUS LANE on Howell St is open!

March 12, 2019 by Casey Rogers

People traveling by bus or car on Howell Street between 9th Ave and Yale Ave during the afternoon commute now have an easier time getting to the Yale St on-ramp to SB I-5. This work is part of a larger effort intended to streamline traffic flow through this section of the City as we gear up for Chapter 2 of the #SeattleSqueeze.

Check out the 5th/6th Ave Transit Pathway and All-door boarding on 3rd Ave projects that were recently completed!

Here’s what you can expect:

L A N E S & P A R K I N G

Relocated bus lane on Howell St to the left curb lane
A new eastbound transit queue jump on Howell St and Yale Ave that will allow buses traveling through Boren Ave a head start when the light turns green
Restricted parking on the left curb lane on Howell Street between 9th Avenue and Yale Avenue between 3 and 7 pm; Monday through Friday

T R A N S I T

The following bus routes travel through this corridor and may be impacted by these improvements:

King County Metro: 111, 114, 177, 178, 190
Sound Transit: 510, 511, 513, 578, 590, 592, 594, 595
Community Transit: 402, 405, 410, 415, 417, 422

In the previous configuration, the bus lane was located in the right center lane of Howell Street, impacted by backups and delays as cars merged right to the I-5 south onramp at Yale Street. The relocated bus lane will streamline traffic flow and reduce travel time through this section of downtown Seattle.

Don’t forget that the next chapter of the Seattle Squeeze begins on March 23, 2019, when all buses that use the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel will be permanently relocated to surface streets. This change is being made to accommodate the Washington State Convention Center construction and future Link light rail expansion to the Eastside in 2023. In all, 15 bus routes will be changing what bus stops they serve.

Seattle’s new normal – #SeattleSqueeze

For more information, tools, and resources on #SeattleSqueeze, please visit our website!

March 2-4, 2019: Sub base repairs + concrete pour as we make pedestrian improvements at the intersection of S Myrtle St & Beacon Ave S.

March 1, 2019 by Jeanne Clark

Swift Ave S, S Myrtle St, and S Othello are two-way arterials serving south Seattle. The streets link Holly Park and Beacon Hill to Interstate 5 (I-5). Our goal is to improve the safety, accessibility, and comfort for all users. From March 2-4, 2019, we’re finishing up our sub base repairs to the ground for a concrete pour as we make pedestrian improvements at the intersection of S Myrtle St and Beacon Ave S.