MEDINA, Wash. — Changes could be coming for King County Metro and Sound Transit bus riders from the Eastside.
But faster and more frequent service could come with a trade-off.
There are three possibilities to restructure several routes along SR 520.
The biggest impact would be for bus commuters coming from the Eastside into Downtown Seattle.
Ten bus routes – both Metro and Sound Transit -- would be impacted. The routes being reviewed for changes include Metro Routes 252, 255, 257, 268, 277, and 311, and ST Express Routes 540, 541, 542, and 545.
King County says if the routes aren’t changed, they will get slower and will be late more often because of rapid growth and increased traffic in the areas they go through.
Also, buses will move out of the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel to surface streets as early as September 2018, so Route 255 will take longer to get through downtown Seattle.
One of the biggest changes would affect buses that currently go all the way into Downtown Seattle into the bus tunnel.
Instead, it would drop riders off at the University of Washington Link station.
Passengers would then have to transfer to light rail and ride that into Downtown Seattle.
Some may find the extra step inconvenient, but transit officials say making that change would keep buses out of traffic on SR 520 and I-5, allowing them to add more frequent service or new connections for riders, like South Lake Union.
According to an online survey, riders seem to be in favor of the change, if it improves the speed and reliability of their commute.
The three options can generally be described as
- Option A: Existing Routes, with future congestion
- Option B: Connects routes to Link, re-invests resources in Frequency
- Option C: Connects routes to Link, re-invests resources in New Connections.
Metro and Sound Transit want riders' input through the end of the month. You can take the survey at this link.
Cox Media Group
