West Seattle, Washington
16 Monday
6:16 AM: Good morning! Time to start transit and traffic watch as people start heading downtown for the Seahawks‘ Super Bowl victory parade. Infolinks to start:
PARADE MAP/INFO
TRANSIT PLANS
EXTRA WATER-TAXI SHUTTLES
WATER TAXI VESSEL STATUS (note: Spirit of Kingston, extra boat, is running as of 7:45 but not showing)
WEST SEATTLE TRAFFIC CAMS
ALL CITYWIDE TRAFFIC CAMS
Updates to come as the morning unfolds! The 4th/Cherry cam downtown shows some staked out at curbside already, and some vehicle traffic still.
6:44 AM: The 4th/Washington cam toward the start of the parade route also shows paradegoers already staked out, and police in the street instead of traffic. We’re heading to Seacrest soon for Water Taxi updates; the real-time map shows M/V Sally Fox on the West Seattle run and M/V Doc Maynard serving Vashon.
7:08 AM: Above is the scene at the start of the parade route three minutes ago. We’re monitoring a variety of emergency and transit services; all’s well so far.
7:30 AM: Our crew has arrived at the Water Taxi dock and just sent the photo above. No line/crowd yet. Lots of room on sailing that’s just leaving. … A few minutes later, the extra WT boat, Spirit of Kingston, just pulled up (it’s not showing on the real-time site, though). … SoK left at 7:45, ~75 aboard.
8 AM: Things are starting to pick up at Seacrest, where Sally Fox has just returned. … Moments later, Spirit of Kingston (the smaller “spare” boat) returned. Meantime, our first report from buses – one rider says her bus is already full and skipping stops.
8:10 AM: We’re told Sally Fox left at capacity, 277. SoK (about half the capacity) loaded up and left minutes later. Meantime, a photo from West Seattle resident Ian in the parade zone:
8:30 AM: The boats really are leaving as fast as they fill up. Spirit of K headed out at 8:21, Sally Fox is back already, lines but not for long. … Parking is maxed out near the dock, though, a newly arrived reader tells us. They also sent this pic looking back at the line stretching out along Harbor:
8:55 AM: If you aren’t at the dock yet, you might be in for a wait – our crew estimates the line could be enough people to fill the next runs of both boats. Otherwise, no major traffic/transit problems reported – we’re continuing to monitor. … Spirit of K is headed out again at 8:56 am, so it should be back in about half an hour.
9:06 AM: Line estimated at 700 people; the two boats’ combined capacity is 450. Here’s an overhead view, from Nora McGee:
9:18 AM: Sally Fox is leaving again. … Here’s the latest view from the start of the parade route at 4th/Washington:
And from a reader who’s NOT going to the parade, we just got bus-stop views – not too jammed – including California/Findlay:
In comments, though, Meg reports, “Bus delays are pretty backed up too, been at the C line at Junction for 30 minutes without a single bus going downtown yet.”
9:38 AM: Water Taxis keep churning – SoK just left, Sally Fox is arriving. The line is still out to Harbor Ave. … Meantime, on board, a reader photo of the fan jerseys:
9:52 AM: Sally Fox is heading out again, as SoK comes in:
The outbound arrivals are slowing down, our crew reports.
10:07 AM: Now the larger M/V Doc Maynard – which has been on the Vashon run this morning – is at Seacrest, to pick up more people who will get downtown just barely in time. We’ll be leaving the dock soon; we’ll start a separate report once the parade begins, and welcome your pic at 206-293-6302 or westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
(Reader photo, February 2014)
That was what it looked like at Seacrest as Seahawks victory parade-goers lined up to catch the West Seattle Water Taxi on February 5, 2014 – we had ongoing outbound travel coverage that day, as we will this Wednesday, plus reader pics from the 700,000+ parade crowd. Here’s what Metro says so far about Wednesday transit plans – relevant excerpts from their regional news release:
Get ready to celebrate with the Super Bowl winning Seattle Seahawks by taking transit to be part of the festivities!
All of the regional transit agencies – Community Transit, Everett Transit, King County Metro, Kitsap Transit, Pierce Transit, Sound Transit and Washington State Ferries – will be working together to ensure that fans will be able to get to and from the parade route along Fourth Avenue in downtown Seattle. …
Travel early, stay late
With hundreds of thousands of people expected downtown we expect demand to skyrocket on transit and at area parking garages – so we’re putting more service on the streets, the rails and the water to help. Many buses will also be on reroute so riders may need to transfer to bus shuttles or light rail to reach downtown destinations.
We encourage people, including those coming downtown for work, to please travel early and allow additional travel time. Patience will be your best teammate on Wednesday.
But before you go, please make a plan: Travel early and review your transit options and prepare to be flexible. And after the big event, fans are encouraged to spend some time downtown to spread out demand while transit works hard to carry everybody back home.
Transit can bring you to the events
Times have changed since the last Super Bowl parade in 2014. The Sound Transit Link 1 Line now stretches from Lynnwood to Federal Way and tens of thousands of people now can travel more quickly and easily to the celebration.
Sound Transit will be operating 1 Line trains every (6) six minutes from 5 a.m. through 6 p.m., and Sounder service will operate an additional four trips, with three trains on the S Line from Lakewood and Tacoma and one on the N Line from Everett.
Metro bus service, Seattle Streetcars, Kitsap Fast Ferries, and additional Water Taxi service will also bring more riders to downtown Seattle.
Parade, street closures will affect transit service
The City of Seattle plans to close several downtown streets early Wednesday before the parade begins on Fourth Avenue. King County Metro plans to reroute bus service starting around 5 a.m. and until the streets reopen after the parade. Many buses that usually travel through downtown will pick up and drop off riders at hubs north and south of downtown. East-west buses that usually cross Fourth Avenue also will be rerouted, meaning riders should plan to potentially walk or roll a few blocks to reach their destinations. Riders are encouraged to review these changes on Metro’s service advisories page.
Your best resource on how to use transit to get downtown will be from the transit system you use. Go to the website of your favorite mode of transport to get more information on transit to the parade. …
King County Metro
To keep service moving reliably, these key changes are planned:
Special shuttles: To keep riders moving within the Seattle downtown core, special north-south shuttles will operate, and riders are encouraged to use Link 1 Line trains in the transit tunnel to travel through the downtown core. More details and a map of Metro’s parade day shuttle will be posted online as soon as possible.
Metro, Sound Transit and Community Transit buses coming from the north plan to drop off riders at the north end of downtown Seattle. A planned hub at Mercer Street and Queen Anne Avenue will allow riders to connect to a Second Avenue circulator shuttle into the central business district. This shuttle will operate on the west side of the parade via Second and Third avenues and travel to and from Cherry Street. A second rider hub is planned at Boren Avenue and Pike Street and will connect riders to a shuttle that will operate on the east side of the parade route and travel on Boren Avenue to South Jackson Street.
Metro, Sound Transit and Pierce Transit buses coming from the Eastside and the south end plan to drop off riders near SODO and Stadium stations, where riders can board the 1 Line, walk or roll to the parade route, or take bus routes traveling farther north. Shuttle buses will be available north of South Jackson Street. A map of shuttle connections will be posted online.
East-west bus routes will be unable to cross the Fourth Avenue parade route and will be rerouted, with details posted on Metro’s Service Advisories web page prior to the event. …
King County Water Taxi: Additional Water Taxi sailings are planned on Wednesday to accommodate fans coming from Vashon and West Seattle, with a third vessel available if needed.
We’re checking for more specifics (here’s what they did in 2014, for example) and will add when/if available.
ADDED 12:22 PM: Metro spokesperson Al Sanders elaborates, “This will be a dynamic day and Marine will have staff and vessels ready to support and will be continually evaluating/adapting service as best they can. The decision on the third boat will be based on available space at pier 50 and volume of people in the moment. Marine will already be running more frequent service with our larger primary vessels. For awareness: Kitsap Transit will be also running additional service on multiple routes.” That’s one big change from 2014 – the Water Taxi’s downtown dock at Pier 50 is shared by more vessels, with the Kitsap Transit runs. The downtown dock was upgraded and reopened in 2019.
(Added: WSB photo, Water Taxi boarding just before 4 pm)
If you’re going to the Seahawks‘ playoff game (5 pm at Lumen Field vs. the 49ers), reminder that you can take the West Seattle Water Taxi there and back. The WT website says, “After the game, there will be special post-game sailings from Pier 50 to the Seacrest dock at 8:30 p.m., 9:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Then you can take the free shuttle from Seacrest to the West Seattle Junction (Route 773) or ride along Alki (Route 775).”
(File photo)
If you’re going to the Seahawks‘ Thursday night football game (December 18), you can sail on the West Seattle Water Taxi instead of driving or riding. Metro has announced that it’s adding evening runs that night:
After the game, there will be special post-game sailings from Pier 50 to the Seacrest Dock at 8:00 p.m., 8:45 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Then you can take the free shuttle from Seacrest to the West Seattle Junction (Route 773) or ride along Alki (Route 775)
And don’t forget, if you want to take your time to celebrate (or commiserate) you can get back to West Seattle by strolling to Alaskan Way South at South Jackson Street and riding the RapidRide C or H lines.
The Seahawks are hosting the Los Angeles Rams at Lumen Field, game time 5:15 pm Thursday.
As noted in the morning traffic/weather info roundup, we asked Metro whether they were considering adding West Seattle Water Taxi runs for the Mariners’ playoff games. Spokesperson Al Sanders tells us yes:
The West Seattle Water Taxi will be running post-game service on Wednesday [tonight], Thursday and (if needed) on Friday. Sailing times from Pier 50 will be at 8:30 p.m., 9:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.
If the Mariners do make it to the World Series, the Marine Division will consider additional service on a game-by-game basis.
4:55 PM: Metro has sent an alert that the 5:25 pm and 6:05 pm West Seattle Water Taxi runs from downtown are canceled, as are the 5:45 and 6:25 pm runs from Seacrest to downtown. “Mechanical problems” are blamed; there are also cancellations for the Vashon Water Taxi and Kitsap Transit Fast Ferry, so we are following up to see whether the “mechanical problems” are with the terminal rather than vessel(s).
6:01 PM: No word on what the problem was, but Metro says the Water Taxi and other vessels are back in service, so the canceled trips are reinstated.
(MV Doc Maynard – WSB file photo)
As we’ve been mentioning in our morning traffic/transit/etc. roundups, this Friday is the last night of the West Seattle Water Taxi‘s summer/early fall schedule. Metro published a reminder this afternoon, including an update on ridership this season:
… The West Seattle run, which takes passengers on a 15-minute ride across Elliott Bay, saw summer (June-August) ridership of more than 178,000 passengers (59,000 per month). That meant 2025 was the busiest summer since 2019, when the water taxi carried 166,000 riders (55,000 per month) over the same period.
This summer, the water taxi saw the return of Seattle Mariners weeknight post-game service, allowing fans to go from T-Mobile to Pier 50 after Mariners victories. Fans of the “Beautiful Game” were also able to take the water taxi after matches during the 2025 FIFA Men’s Club World Cup. Add to that a summer full of concerts—Kendrick Lamar, Morgan Wallen, and Miranda Lambert, K-Pop stars Stray Kids, Post Malone, and the Lumineers — and there were a number of people who took advantage of leaving their cars at home and riding the Water Taxi.
When the West Seattle Water Taxi starts its fall/winter schedule on Saturday (see it here), that’s also the day that the Vashon Water Taxi starts its six-day-a-week schedule, adding Saturdays.
(File photo, Water Taxi at West Seattle dock)
With a Mariners playoff game Sunday night, Metro says the West Seattle Water Taxi will follow its Saturday schedule on Sunday too. First pitch for the M’s second American League Division Series game vs. Detroit will be just after 5 pm, so chances are you’ll be able to get a boat home before the last run of the night leaves Pier 50 at 10:45 pm. Metro is of course also pitching the Water Taxi as a great way to get to the weekend’s other three big games – M’s ALDS game 1 and <strong>Sounders FC vs. Portland on Saturday, Seahawks vs. Tampa Bay Sunday afternoon. Read all about it here. (But don’t forget the likely parking crunch on Saturday! Metro shuttles will be runnind Water Taxi-matching schedules too.)
West Seattle has had weekend King County Water Taxi service for years – and now Vashon Island is getting it too. When the fall/winter service schedule starts on October 11, the Vashon Island to Downtown Seattle run will get eight round trips on Saturdays. The schedule also will include an added Friday night sailing, from downtown to Vashon at 7:30 pm Fridays. As noted in the full announcement, this is a one-year pilot program, with the $1 million cost allocated by the state Legislature.
Reminder: The Mariners games tonight and tomorrow are the last ones for which Metro will run extra later-in-the-evening West Seattle Water Taxi service, with the last boat leaving Pier 50 downtown at 9:30 pm. After tomorrow (Tuesday, August 26), the WSWT goes back to the regular summer schedule of extended evening service only on Fridays and Saturdays.
(File photo)
Metro has announced both its next “service change” plan for buses and a round of fare changes for bus and Water Taxi service – almost all increases. Here’s how West Seattle service will be affected:
AUGUST 30 SERVICE CHANGE: Metro’s twice-yearly list of changes to various routes is out, and this time, no West Seattle routes are on the list – no service additions or subtractions in this area.
BUS AND WATER-TAXI FARE CHANGES, MOSTLY INCREASES: Two days later, on Monday, September 1, fare changes kick in for Metro bus and Water Taxi service. You can see the full table here. Key changes:
Full fares
*Metro bus/Flex adult fares rise 25 cents to $3
*West Seattle Water Taxi adult fares rise 50 cents to $6.25
ORCA fares
*West Seattle Water Taxi, up 25 cents to $5.25
*West Seattle Water Taxi ORCA LIFT, down $2.75 to $1
Metro notes that the 25-cent increase in full adult bus fares will be the first one since it established flat fares in 2018.
P.S. In case you’re wondering, October 10 is the end of this year’s “summer schedule” for the West Seattle Water Taxi, which means regular Friday and Saturday later-night service will end then, until spring.
That’s a King County TV clip about “Captain Dan,” whose last day with the King County Water Taxi is tomorrow. Capt. Dan (Krehbiel) had a big moment in the spotlight in November 2023, when he – while at the helm of M/V Doc Maynard – maneuvered the Water Taxi to keep a runaway barge from crashing into the downtown waterfront (WSB coverage here). Most recently he’s been on the Vashon Island run with M/V Sally Fox. But his true claim to fame is as the Water Taxi system’s first captain, 16 years ago; it’s grown in a big way since then, but now he’s sailing off into retirement. Read his full story on the Metro Matters website.
Just announced by Metro:
West Seattle Water Taxi will extend weeknight service for Mariners games this summer, beginning tomorrow June 3rd! See our website to check the sailing schedule & plan your trip to/from T-Mobile Park:
https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/metro/travel-options/water-taxi/west-seattle#toc-sailing-schedule
Via email from Dan just a few minutes ago:
Water Taxi is a small boat this morning and they are turning away people for over capacity including people headed to the Sounders noon match. Might want to take a bus.
According to Water Taxi Watch, both regular Water Taxi boats, Doc Maynard and Sally Fox, are tied up downtown at the WT maintenance facility.
(WSB photo, April 2024)
That’s some of what divers brought up during their annual underwater cleanup around Seacrest last year. It’s happening again this Sunday morning, and that means a delayed start to West Seattle Water Taxi service that day. Thanks to Karen for the tip – she reported a sign about the schedule change, so we checked with Al Sanders at Metro. He tells WSB:
The Seacrest Dock will get its annual underwater cleaning Sunday morning April 20. Service will be suspended during the cleanup. Volunteer divers and staff from Seattle Dive Tours will go under the dock and pull away debris that is a hazard to both the water taxi and the people diving around and near the dock. Service to West Seattle will be suspended Sunday morning, but sailings will resume Sunday afternoon from Pier 50 starting at 1:30 p.m.
Sanders says Metro plans to send out an alert about this tomorrow (Friday).
(WSB file photo)
Metro says the West Seattle Water Taxi‘s spring/summer schedule will start this Saturday, April 12. As in recent years, the major change will be the addition of later-in-the-evening runs on Fridays and Saturdays, until 11 pm; you can see the full schedules for those days/nights by going here. So what about big events that aren’t happening on those two nights? We asked Water Taxi spokesperson Al Sanders, who replied, “Sailings for special events (such as concerts) will continue to be decided on a case by case basis.” The spring/summer schedule will be in effect through Friday night, October 10.
(King County Metro photo)
A reminder in case you missed the original announcement last Friday – The West Seattle Water Taxi will NOT be in service for the next two days (Monday-Tuesday, March 24-25). Metro says the two-day break is needed for work at the dock at Seacrest, “to repair damage caused by recent weather. The repairs include refastening pile guides to the docking float and replacement of pile guide bushings.”
(WSB file photo)
Metro announced today that West Seattle Water Taxi service will be canceled Monday and Tuesday so the Seacrest pier can be repaired:
King County Water Taxi service to West Seattle will be temporarily suspended on Monday, March 24 and Tuesday, March 25 while maintenance crews make repairs to the Seacrest Dock.
Water Taxi sailings to Vashon will continue during this time.
The work to the floats at the dock is to repair damage caused by recent weather. The repairs include refastening pile guides to the docking float and replacement of pile guide bushings.
The work is being done prior to the start of the summer sailing season that begins in mid-April.
For alternate transportation suggestions, see this post on the Water Taxi website.
(Reader photo)
In case you’re in the Seacrest (Water Taxi/Marination ma kai) vicinity and wondering about the emergency response, with SFD there now: According to dispatch and to the witness who sent the photo – they were on the Water Taxi, which had just left – a man jumped into the water in a suspected attempt at self-harm. The witness says the Water Taxi quickly returned to the dock, as its crew, along with divers and others, rushed to help; the witness told us via text, “I was very impressed by how quickly (the) crew reacted, very professional and efficient. They had life rings, one of them wa wearing a dry suit, and after very quickly tying the boat up, were running off with a first-aid kit. (The) boat captain showed some pretty amazing skills, racing to the dock uncomfortably fast and stopped it on a dime in the perfect position.” The man was pulled out of the water and is now getting help and will be taken to a hospital.
Again this year, the King County Water Taxi‘s West Seattle service will continue middays year-round as well as am and pm commutes, Metro confirms today; the shuttle buses will continue too. And Metro says the new Vashon service’s midday runs also will continue throughout fall and winter. The only notable changes taking effect with the “fall schedule” on October 11 will be the suspension of Friday/Saturday later-evening runs on the West Seattle route until spring. Metro’s full announcement about all this is here.
FYI for Elliott Bay-watchers, and anybody visiting Alki, on Saturday – King County Water Taxi spokesperson Al Sanders tells us that the WT and the U.S. Coast Guard “will be holding their annual joint training exercise from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. across Elliott Bay. One of our vessels is going to be ‘boarded’ by the Coast Guard throughout the day.” So if you see unusual activity on Saturday (September 21) involving one of the Water Taxi vessels, now you know.
ADDED SATURDAY: The drill activity ranged outside the bay, too – Chris Frankovich sent this photo shortly after 3 pm:
(WSB photo: Diesel-powered Water Taxi M/V Sally Fox, as seen Tuesday at Seacrest)
You’ve likely heard about Washington State Ferries‘ plan to build electric vessels. Our area’s foot-ferry fleet, Metro Transit‘s King County Water Taxi, is moving that way too. In a recent newsletter, District 1 City Councilmember Rob Saka mentioned that the Puget Sound Regional Council‘s Executive Board – on which he serves – had approved funding for “electrification improvements” to the Water Taxi. (The money originates with federal highway and transit funds, Saka added.) So we asked Metro’s Al Sanders for details. He tells WSB:
As part of Metro’s transition to becoming a zero-emission fleet, the Marine Division is researching the technology available that will allow the Water Taxis to go from using diesel-powered vessels to sailing with ships that use hybrid and/or battery-electric power.
The $1.7 million grant awarded by the Puget Sound Regional Council will be used on the design and engineering of new electric vessels and associated charging infrastructure needed to support the fleet. The grant would be used to initiate the design of two new 150-passenger battery electric vessels, along with the design of shoreside vessel charging and other electrical infrastructure at Pier 50.
When in service, the vessels will reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with water taxi service in support of the King County Strategic Climate Action Plan.
Sanders says the design work hasn’t started, so there’s no timeline for this yet. The two current Water Taxis, M/V Doc Maynard and M/V Sally Fox, were both launched in 2015, at a total cost of $11.8 million, also mostly from federal funding.
After a day and a half of no or reduced service to West Seattle, and a half-day of reduced service to Vashon Island, the King County Water Taxi is back on its regular schedule this afternoon. Metro spokesperson Al Sanders says the Coast Guard cleared M/V Sally Fox to return to service, so it sailed from downtown to West Seattle at 1:30 pm, and M/V Doc Maynard will leave downtown for Vashon Island at 3 pm, with both routes sailing their regular schedules this pm. The Water Taxi’s regular backup boat, M/V Spirit of Kingston, has been unavailable because it’s at a shipyard for its periodic “out-of-water inspection.”
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