Attention West Seattle residents: Now is the time to prepare and plan your commute for when State Route 99 closes for three weeks next month.

Thanks to the King County Water Taxi, you’ll have a quick, congestion-free option to reach downtown Seattle during SR 99’s realignment and beyond in 2019.

Starting Monday, Jan. 14 until Wednesday, March 27, the Water Taxi will replace its current schedule with one that expands service on weekdays and offers midday sailings.

It’s all part of a bigger push to encourage commuters to plan for the upcoming closure by considering riding transit, carpooling, telecommuting and other travel options (if you’re looking for a place to start, check out Metro’s Get Ready for the SR 99 closure page).

Here is a snapshot of the changes to help West Seattle riders during the Alaskan Way Viaduct closure:

More sailings:

• Vessels will depart West Seattle every 20 minutes – a total of 12 sailings – during the morning and evening commutes. Two vessels will operate on the route during these times.
• NEW! There will also be midday service between Seacrest Park and the Seattle waterfront.

More shuttles, buses:

• The Route 773 and 775 shuttles – which serves the West Seattle Junction and Admiral District areas – will offer free service for every sailing arriving and departing Seacrest Park.
• In addition to the regular Water Taxi shuttles, Metro’s new West Seattle Ride2 pilot and Metro coach connections from the Junction will provide additional access to the Water Taxi

More parking:

• A continuous free shuttle to and from Seacrest Park will connect riders with three parking lots:
  • Harbor Ave SW will have overnight parking restrictions south of Seacrest Park on the southeast (water) side to allow open morning parking for approximately 120 cars.
  • SW Bronson Way is an unpaved parking area south of Salty’s restaurant which holds about 40 cars.
  • The Pier 2 parking lot is a secured parking facility holding more than 250 cars. It will be staffed Monday through Friday from 5:45 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Cars will not be accessible outside of these hours. We suggest you park here 20 minutes before sailing time. The shuttle will run the .6 mile route continuously between Pier 2 and Seacrest Park.

Special offer on Metro Vanshare:

• Commuters can start a new Metro Vanshare and connect from their homes to the Water Taxi or to their worksite from Pier 52 on the Seattle waterfront. The first three months of Vanshare fares will be covered for your group and includes a vehicle, fuel, maintenance, roadside assistance, emergency-rides-home and insurance. Learn more at gov/MetroVans or call 206-625-4500.

Bikes:

• There will be no charge for bikes aboard the Water Taxi, and additional bike parking will be available at Seacrest Park.

For those new to our service, King County Water Taxi offers a relaxing ride between West Seattle and the Seattle waterfront. Crossing time is about 10 minutes (yes, only 10 minutes!), during which you can check your phone, chat with fellow riders or simply take in a gorgeous view of Elliott Bay and the city skyline.

For more information about ways to prepare for the closure, visit Metro’s Get Ready for the SR 99 closure page.