Metro reminder of upcoming 1st Avenue S. ramp-closure reroutes

Shortly after the date was announced last month for the upcoming closure of the 1st Avenue South ramp to the westbound West Seattle Bridge — part of the city’s Spokane Street Viaduct Widening Project — Metro provided WSB with its bus-rerouting plans (3/5 story here). They haven’t changed, but with the May 17 ramp closure less than a month away, Metro has now sent an official news release, so in case you missed the news before, here’s the full text:

In mid-May, the city of Seattle begins a new phase of its project to widen the Spokane Street Viaduct between Interstate 5 and the West Seattle Bridge. Construction of this project is expected to affect local bus service to West Seattle, White Center, Harbor Island and Vashon Island for more than a year.

On May 17, the city is scheduled to permanently close the westbound on-ramp from First Avenue South to the Spokane Street Viaduct to build a new on and off-ramp at First Avenue South. The new ramp is expected to open in fall 2011. Until then, buses that normally use the westbound on-ramp will be rerouted from First Avenue South to:

* west on South Hanford Street;
* south on East Marginal Way South;
* west over the Duwamish Waterway on the low-level bridge to West Seattle.

This routing is expected to add several minutes to the travel times of buses heading south and westbound when traffic levels are light or normal. But increased congestion is expected over the low bridge, which means buses could be delayed significantly longer. Buses could also be slowed by trains crossing Hanford Street or openings of the low bridge for ships.

The King County Metro Transit bus routes expected to be affected the most are:

21 Local – Arbor Heights
22 – Alaska Junction, White Center
35 – Harbor Island
56 Local – Admiral District, Alki
57 – Genesee Hill, Alaska Junction
85 Night Owl – Admiral District, White Center
116 – Fauntleroy
118 – Vashon Island
119 – Vashon Island

Passengers on these bus routes should plan for extra travel time, particularly during the afternoon commute. On northbound trips heading toward Seattle, these bus routes will probably have more normal travel times.

Route 132 also travels on First Avenue South but does not use the Spokane Street ramp. It could encounter increased traffic congestion traveling southbound.

Bus routes that normally operate on the Alaskan Way Viaduct and East Marginal Way will not be rerouted, but could be delayed by traffic congestion if a large number of vehicles divert from First Avenue South.

These traffic conditions are expected to continue for some time. In addition to the Spokane Street project, there will be other city and state road projects throughout the SODO area – including construction this summer to begin replacing the southern mile of the Alaskan Way Viaduct.

Bus riders can stay informed about most scheduled reroutes by subscribing to Metro Transit Alerts for the routes they use.

You can also call Metro for help planning your bus trip at (206) 553-3000, or visit the online Trip Planner. Please note that information in the Trip Planner is based on regularly scheduled service and normal travel conditions. Check Metro Online at www.kingcounty.gov/metro for links to the Trip Planner and Transit Alerts.

Some West Seattle residents may find the King County Water Taxi a good way to commute during this time. Schedules, fares, and bus shuttle information are online at www.kingcounty.gov/watertaxi.

And, sharing a ride also takes vehicles off the road to eliminate some of the congestion. Visit RideshareOnline at www.rideshareonline.com for information on how to get started either with a vanpool, vanshare, or carpool.

9 Replies to "Metro reminder of upcoming 1st Avenue S. ramp-closure reroutes"

  • buddsmom April 19, 2010 (2:22 pm)

    Welcome back to June 11, 1978 all over again.

  • RobertSeattle April 19, 2010 (4:36 pm)

    What I’ll find amusing are the “newbie” bus drivers who accidentally turn down Delridge instead of heading to Admiral at the 5 (or is that 6?) way light.

  • Alki Area April 19, 2010 (5:21 pm)

    buddsmon…I agree, sucks, but if anyone can find a way to build a new bridge over the existing ramp, somehow occupying the same location in time & space, let me know…and SDOT…and Steven Hawking.

    Till then, widening the bridge, which will be GREAT and in theory be running for 40-50 years, will require a few months of inconvenience.

    Look, you’re not walking 15 miles to carry water and a bag of rice to your family. It’s just another 15 minutes in your air conditioned car…lets all get a grip and have perspective on these things. ;-)

  • buddsmom April 20, 2010 (10:50 am)

    Alki Area- That may be the way you get around, but for those of us who ride Metro it means long,hot waits on overcrowded busses for much longer than a few minutes. Having lived through the low rise bridge era, I speak from experience. There are now several thousand more people who commute to and from West Seattle now than in 1978. Add to that game day traffic on 1st and it will be a nightmare. Those of us who use the 21 and 22 bus routes will have inconsistent service at best when trying to get out of WS due to these delays.

  • here today April 20, 2010 (10:55 am)

    I absolutely agree buddsmom. The bus ride to West Seattle is already a painful event, and this will make it much, much worse.

  • berge April 20, 2010 (11:11 am)

    It would be great if the lower bridge restricted opening up the bridge to boats during rush hour. Other bridges around Seattle do this.

    I can’t imagine sitting on the 21 while the bridge goes up for a sailboat. With an already slow-to-open-and-close bridge, traffic is going to get ridiculous.

  • buddsmom April 20, 2010 (11:26 am)

    That will happen.

  • berge April 21, 2010 (11:56 am)

    buddsmom – really? Are you referring to my question about when the bridge will open to boats? I’ve looked for this in the SDOT updates but haven’t seen anything about it. Where did you hear this?

  • buddsmom April 21, 2010 (12:31 pm)

    The waiting forever on a bus is what I meant.

Sorry, comment time is over.