With the new downtown routing for most West Seattle buses launching Saturday, city/county/state officials are planning a media event tomorrow. So if you have lingering questions in advance of buses switching to the Columbia Street Transit Pathway, let us know and we’ll do ou best to get answers. (westseattleblog@gmail.com if you don’t want to post in the comment section – thanks!)
When do they anticipate the bus lanes on Alaskan Way to/from Columbia being completed?
if you work in pioneer square or stadiums area, you’re screwed. this bypasses that whole area. anyone working in pioneer square will have to backtrack 6-8 blocks. metro touts 7 minutes faster ride but, that 7 minutes savings, and more, will be used backtracking to pioneer square/stadium area places of work.
A second vote or the 21. How did everyone get to Pioneer Square before Metro temporarily rerouted the C line? Walk to/from the C line on 2nd and Seneca/Columbia? 21 takes the cake.
Well, the thing is the C has never stopped by the stadiums and the current routing was never going to be a permanent thing. In fact, that Pioneer Square stop was only added to the temporary route as an afterthought. Yes, people using the temporary Pioneer Square stop are going to have to revert to whatever they did before, but everyone going downtown and to South Lake Union are ecstatic at the new routing.
The route though Pioneer Square was always a temporary route until Columbia Street opened for bus traffic. The idea is if you want to head south, just transfer at the University Link downtown station and take the train south. Eventually the trains will be running every 3-6 minutes and easy to transfer.
Where will the closest downtown C line stops to and from the stadiums be?
The 21 local goes right by the stadiums, and after 11 years of riding it, I can attest to the fact that it is no slower than, and often faster than, the “express” buses. That said, they’re planning stops in Alaska at Main for later this year. https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/a-better-ride-for-26000-seattle-commuters-when-metro-buses-shift-to-columbia-street/
Depending on where you need to be dropped off the route 37 or 116 may additionally get you home.
Honestly, if there’s a game you’d do better to get off the C Line at Union and use the Light Rail to backtrack to the stadiums. It will be faster than sitting in game traffic on a bus that stops closer to your destination.
I believe the closest station stadiums for the C line will be on 3rd just north of Columbia, or Columbia between near Alaska Way, fairly close to the ferry dock
I read that stops near King St are planned, but not until construction in that area is done. Since the Pioneer Square stop was added, I’ve been taking a later 21x that has been regularly getting downtown faster than the 21 that I had been taking in the morning.
Will the morning buses arrive on time and get us downtown 10 minutes earlier or will the buses all plan to run 10 minutes late and get us downtown at the usual time?
They will most likely try and keep to the set times from the first stop regardless of what time it will end up downtown. If anything the new service changes comes out at the end of March, most likely the schedule will be re adjusted at the time to match reality.
Will we get stuck in ferry traffic if a bus goes by as a ferry unloads?
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