SEATTLE -- The City of Seattle says the move to use Third Avenue as a priority bus corridor during peak commute hours was so successful, that the street will remain that way even after the redesigned Downtown transit tunnel opens Sept. 24.

Seattle mayor Greg Nickels says the decision to continue prioritizing bus service along that route will allow King County Metro Transit to reorganize surface bus routes and balance transit traffic across downtown.

Eighteen bus routes are moving into the tunnel, and Metro is reorganizing other bus routes on surface streets to further improve mobility through downtown. Several bus routes are moving from First, Second, Fourth and Fifth Avenues to Third Avenue to take advantage of transit-priority operations. New stops are being added on Columbia and Seneca Streets to help buses move more efficiently between downtown streets and the Alaskan Way Viaduct.

King County Executive Ron Sims says during the tunnel closure, downtown ridership increased by 10,000 boardings.

"This is good for congestion relief and important to our efforts to reduce harmful emissions that contribute to global warming," Sims said in a media release.

Right now, Third Avenue is restricted to bus traffic only between 6-9 a.m. and 3-6:30 p.m. on weekdays. Other traffic can use the avenue for one block, but must make the first available right turn. Third Avenue is open to all traffic during the non-peak periods.

For More Information:

seattletunnel.org