Travel is likely to be difficult this weekend due to construction work on two key Seattle transportation arteries. Starting on 10pm Friday, Sound Transit is shutting down 1 Line light rail service in the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel and offering a replacement bus bridge.
“Buses will replace 1 Line trains between Capitol Hill and SoDo stations between 10pm on Friday, Jan. 9 and noon Saturday Jan. 10, and then again from 10pm Saturday until noon Sunday, Jan. 11, to accommodate the installation of advanced signaling in the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel,” Sound Transit’s Henry Bendon said in a release. “1 Line trains will operate every 15 minutes between Lynnwood and Capitol Hill and between SODO and Federal Way.”
Meanwhile, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is embarking on Revive I-5 work that will mean a weekend-long full northbound I-5 closure on the Ship Canal Bridge. The reversible express lanes will offer northbound freeway travel, which will decrease capacity in the southbound direction.
While the full closure will end by Monday morning, the agency has a five-month partial closure in store to continue the bridge work. Through June 5, WSDOT will close two northbound I-5 lanes across the Ship Canal Bridge, “causing northbound traffic delays. The reversible express lanes will remain northbound for the duration, causing southbound traffic delays.”
During Revive I-5 work, King County Metro will be deploying extra buses to compensate for traffic congestion and a potential influx of riders shifting off light rail. Sound Transit has indicated riders using the bus bridge should expect about 30 minutes of delay compared to normal 1 Line service.
“To help support ridership demand during Revive I-5, Metro is planning to add up to 17 buses on key routes on weekdays and 12 buses on weekends to help riders avoid travel delays due to highway construction. These buses will be able to be deployed flexibly by Metro staff to locations and routes where there is crowding or delays,” spokesperson Elaine Portfield wrote in a King County Metro post.
The City of Seattle has converted bus lanes to 24-hour operation on Aurora Avenue during the Revive I-5 work, hoping to ensure transit keeps moving. Incoming Mayor Katie Wilson has raised the issue of deploying additional bus lanes, specifically calling out Denny Way, which has been a long-running pinch point for Route 8, due in large part to I-5 on-ramp backups.
Sound Transit has more weekend closures planned this month and later in the winter, as it prepares to open East Link’s cross-lake connection and to operate both the 1 Line and 2 Line in the downtown tunnel, which will involve trains coming twice as frequently. In a recent project update, Sound Transit CEO Dow Constantine said 2 Line extension work is preceding at pace and hinted that opening before the agency’s May 31 deadline could in the cards.
In addition to 2 Line preparation, Sound Transit noted the downtown tunnel work over coming weeks will “prepare the system for increased demand during the FIFA World Cup.” WSDOT will be pausing Revive I-5 work during the World Cup, but resuming in mid-July.
- January 13 to 15 – As part of Sound Transit’s regular monthly maintenance program, buses will replace 1 Line trains during late night hours between Stadium and Mount Baker stations to accommodate essential system maintenance on the 1 Line.
- January 16 to 18 – “Buses will replace 1 Line trains between Capitol Hill and SoDo stations between 10 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 16 and noon on Saturday, Jan. 17, and then again from 10 p.m. Saturday until noon on Sunday, Jan. 18, to accommodate the installation of advanced signaling in the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel. Passengers should plan for around 30 minutes of increased travel time. 1 Line trains will operate every 15 minutes between Lynnwood and Capitol Hill and between SoDo and Federal Way. 1 Line shuttle buses will operate every 10-15 minutes between Capitol Hill and SoDo, making all intermediate stops.”
- January 23 to 26 – “Buses will replace 1 Line trains between Capitol Hill and SoDo stations from 10 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 23 until start of service on Monday, Jan. 26 for testing of the advanced signaling system in the Downtown Seattle Transit Tunnel. Passengers should plan for around 30 minutes of increased travel time.” Same bus and truncated train schedule as previous.
Sound Transit has pledged that it work its construction schedule around the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks playoffs schedule. The Seahawks first game will be either Saturday, January 17 or Sunday, January 18, with another home game the next weekend if they win.
“Sound Transit is working closely with the Seahawks to monitor the NFL playoff calendar and keep the region moving,” Bendon said. “The 1 Line will be open to serve the Seahawks playoffs and fan activity before and after games.”
With the I-5 bridge work, light rail may be called upon to carry even more of the load getting fans to the stadium.
“The Revive I-5 project is designed to extend the life of the aging Ship Canal Bridge and improve safety and ride quality for years to come,” Portfield said. “While the short-term traffic impacts will be challenging, the long-term payoff will be smoother, safer travel through this critical stretch of I-5.”
Doug Trumm is publisher of The Urbanist. An Urbanist writer since 2015, he dreams of pedestrian streets, bus lanes, and a mass-timber building spree to end our housing crisis. He graduated from the Evans School of Public Policy and Governance at the University of Washington in 2019. He lives in Seattle's Fremont neighborhood and loves to explore the city by foot and by bike.