The next phase of the “Seattle Squeeze” is fast approaching. Hundreds of more buses will soon crowd surface streets in downtown Seattle, and the changes will have impacts on commuters all across the region.
Roughly 830 more buses will soon travel along downtown Seattle streets on an average weekday.
Those buses currently use the transit tunnel, but starting March 23, only light rail trains will travel underground, and that's permanent.
The bus traffic will come up to the surface to make room for the expansion of the Washington State Convention Center and construction to expand the light rail network.
The following routes will be impacted: 41 Lake City – Northgate, 74 Sand Point, 101 Renton, 102 Fairwood, 150 Kent Station – Southcenter, 255 Brickyard Park and Ride – Kirkland, 550 Bellevue - Mercer Island.
Thousands of riders will have to seek out new bus stops on 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th avenues.
Transportation planners say all of those routes will take longer to get through downtown since they'll be bumper to bumper with lots of other buses and car traffic.
“It is going to be an inconvenience for a number of current bus riders, but it's going to mean a much better day for the mobility in the entire region when we serve tens of thousands more passengers in the tunnel through light rail,” said Sound Transit CEO Peter Rogoff.
Seattle is still just in the beginning of the years-long squeeze, which started with the closure of the Alaskan Way Viaduct, and wraps up in 2023 when light rail trains will carry commuters on new routes to Northgate and the Eastside.
“We are building, right now, the transportation infrastructure for the city that we've already become, and that's going to take a few years,” said Heather Marx, Seattle Department of Transportation director of downtown mobility.
In addition to next month's tunnel changes, some existing surface bus routes will also move to other streets and Metro says those could end up running faster.
Another perk -- Sound Transit says light rail trains will run much more reliably without all those buses in the tunnel.
Commuters should keep an eye out at their bus stops for information telling them where their new stops will be. Metro also has information on its website.
A few more changes -- Metro is adding trips on several routes to relieve overcrowding. On the busy 3rd Avenue bus corridor, riders will be able to pay before they board, to avoid long lines at the front door.