Press Release:

During the weekend of May 14-15 the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) will close the State Route 99 Alaskan Way Viaduct and work will be completed to reduce it to two lanes in each direction between the West Seattle Bridge and the SODO area. This is a long-term lane reduction.

The closure will be from late Friday night, May 13 to early Monday morning, with the new lane configuration taking effect on May 16 for all bus routes and other traffic that use the Alaskan Way Viaduct..

Weekend bus service on routes 54, 55, 120 and 125 will be rerouted via surface streets on May 14-15. The only bus stops that will be missed during the weekend are downtown, westbound on Columbia St at 2nd Av for those buses traveling toward West Seattle, and eastbound on Seneca St between 2nd and 3rd Avenues for Route 5 and those routes arriving downtown from West Seattle.
The weekend reroutes will be posted in Metro Online on Monday, May 9.

It is possible that the lane reductions may cause additional traffic congestion or delays on the viaduct, especially during peak commute times. Metro encourages people who use the Alaskan Way Viaduct to use ride sharing and flexible scheduling alternatives to driving alone.

Metro is not currently seeing significant overcrowding on any of the bus routes in the SR-99 south corridor. It anticipates being able to handle more bus passengers, especially if they can be flexible in their travel times and in the routes they choose.

More bus service is proposed to begin in October for some routes. Overall, WSDOT is contributing approximately $30 million for transit service, which is allowing Metro to increase frequency on some routes, maintain existing schedules, provide rider information, and improve travel-time monitoring
equipment.

Alternate travel options include:
Bus – In anticipation of increased congestion on the south end of the viaduct, WSDOT has funded new bus trips on key routes connecting downtown to Southwest Seattle. It is also installing a bus-only lane northbound between Spokane Street and Lander Street to keep buses moving. Overall, Metro has 11
viaduct bus routes with more than 500 daily trips in both directions. There is also bus service to West Seattle/Southwest Seattle/Burien along the First Avenue South and Fourth Avenue South corridors.

Viaduct bus routes that connect downtown Seattle and the following neighborhoods are:
West Seattle via routes 37, 54, 55 and 56 Express; White Center via routes 21 Express, 54, 113 and 125, and Burien via routes 120, 121 and 122.

Vanpools, carpools & vanshares – Ridesharing is a flexible, cost-effective way for commuters to share their ride to work. Vanshares help fill in the gaps between transportation hubs and work locations.
On average, vanpool members can save more than $6,000 annually on gas, insurance and other commuting costs.

Sign up for a ridematch at www.RideshareOnline.com to receive a customized list of others who live and work near you. You can search for existing groups to join or start your own vanpool. And, if you form a new vanpool or vanshare, or track your existing vanpool commute, you could qualify for rewards
and incentives.

West Seattle Water Taxi – The King County Water Taxi offers 18 round-trip sailings between Seacrest Dock in West Seattle and Pier 50 on the downtown Seattle waterfront on all weekdays, with more service on Friday evenings. There is weekend service as well.

Metro routes 37, 53, 773 and 775 serve Seacrest and points in West Seattle.

From Pier 50, virtually every transit route in downtown Seattle is within a few blocks walking distance or a short bus ride on routes 16, 66 or 99.

Bus riders can contact Metro Transit at (206) 553-3000 for help in planning bus travel, or visit Metro at http://metro.kingcounty.gov/tops/get-you-there/.

Additional information includes:
- Planning for the lane reduction and learning about commute alternatives;
- The Alaskan Way Viaduct and Seawall Replacement program, and
- The Alaskan Way Viaduct hotline - 1-888-AWV-LINE