Rider Alert

All downtown tunnel stations and Central Link Light Rail stations will be closed on Saturday, November 15th. King County Metro will be operating replacement bus service on the surface streets.

All regular bus service that normally operates in the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel (DSTT) will instead operate on designated surface street routings and stops while alternate shuttle bus service will be provided to serve Central Link Light Rail stations and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

The DSTT and the entire Central Link Light Rail line will be closed for system upgrades to prepare for the extended service to Capitol Hill and the University of Washington, due in early 2016.

What does this mean for me?

  1. All downtown tunnel stations and all other Central Link Light Rail stations will be closed.
  2. Metro Routes 41, 71, 72, 73, and 255 heading toward Northgate, the University District, or Kirkland, respectively, will travel through Downtown Seattle via Fourth Avenue and Olive Way; heading south into Downtown Seattle, they will travel via Second Avenue.
  3. Metro Routes 101, 106, and 150 heading to their south end destinations, and Sound Transit Route 550 to Bellevue, will travel through Downtown Seattle via Stewart Street and Second Avenue; heading north into town, they will travel via Fourth Avenue.
  4. All SODO Busway service will operate via normal routes and stops.

What about getting to/from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport?

Sound Transit is providing two replacement bus services to Sea-Tac Airport: one local service (designated Route 97) and one express service (designated Route 97A).

  1. Route 97A (operated by Pierce Transit) – This route will be a direct, non-stop service between Downtown Seattle and Sea-Tac Airport. From Downtown Seattle, it will travel westbound on Pine Street between Fourth and Third Avenues at Macy’s. From Sea-Tac Airport, it will travel northbound on International Boulevard South just north of South 176th Street.
  2. Route 97* (operated by King County Metro) – This route will be a local Service between Downtown Seattle and Sea-Tac Airport servicing the following stations: Westlake Station, University Street Station, Pioneer Square Station, International District Station, Stadium Station, SODO Station, Columbia City Station, Othello Station, Rainier Beach Station, Tukwila Int’l Blvd Station, and SeaTac/Airport Station.

*Route 97 (Central Link Light Rail shuttle) does not serve Mount Baker and Beacon Hill stations. Bus options for those neighborhoods are as follows:

Riders from Beacon Hill and heading toward Downtown/Westlake should board Metro Route 36 northbound while riders heading toward Sea-Tac Airport should board Metro Route 36 southbound and transfer to King County Metro Route 97 at Othello Station.

Meanwhile, riders from Mount Baker and heading toward Downtown/Westlake should take Metro Route 7 northbound while riders heading toward Sea-Tac Airport should board Metro Route 8 southbound at Mt. Baker Transit Center and transfer to King County Metro Route 97 at Columbia City Station.

It should be noted that DSTT routes and the Route 97 do not make all posted bus stops along their surface street routing. Please visit Metro’s Service Advisories page to find out the routing and stops for specific routes. For more information on the closures, visit alert news releases by King County Metro and Sound Transit.

Article Author
Gordon Werner

Gordon is a native New Yorker who wisely chose to leave the Northeast in the early 1990s. A past resident of Belltown, and Queen Anne, he currently calls First Hill home. He is a board member of the First Hill Improvement Association (FHIA) as well as the FHIA Transportation Committee Chair and is constantly looking for ways to improve transportation up the hill.