This story was originally posted on MyNorthwest.com
With an expected 750,000 to 1 million fans converging on downtown Seattle, regional transit will be working overtime to get everyone to the Seahawks Championship celebration and parade safely.
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.
King County Metro will be adding more service on the streets, the rails, and the water, with many buses rerouting, so riders may need to transfer to bus shuttles or light rail to reach downtown destinations.
“Wednesday will be a great day of celebration for our entire region, and I look forward to joining hundreds of thousands of Seahawks fans to celebrate our Super Bowl Champions,” King County Executive Girmay Zahilay said. “Celebrations like this are what the regional transportation network is made for, I encourage residents throughout King County to leave your cars at home and join the celebration.”
Travel early, review your transit options, and prepare to be flexible. 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.
Sound Transit plans for Seahawks Super Bowl parade
Link 1 Line trains will run every six minutes from 5 a.m. until 6 p.m. Four morning Sounder trains will be added to the existing service, and increased Sound Transit Express buses will serve Eastside park-and-rides into downtown Seattle.
“The Seahawks took care of business Sunday, and now it’s our turn to deliver,” Sound Transit CEO Dow Constantine said. “We’ll be running extra trains all day to get you and thousands of 12s downtown to celebrate this historic moment.”
While parking is available at all Sounder stations, it will fill up early, as will parking at Link stations.
Alternative ways to access rail transit can be found here.
King County Metro
Bus service: Metro’s online Trip Planner will help you pick a bus route directly to downtown Seattle or to your closest Sound Transit 1 Line station. Due to street closures and massive crowds on parade day, there will be major changes to bus service to Seattle and throughout downtown starting at 5 a.m.
Wednesday, Feb. 11. Many downtown buses will be rerouted, and due to crowds, your route might not travel where it usually does, so please allow more travel time and check adjustments for your route on Metro’s Service Advisories web page closer to the event.
To keep service moving reliably, several key changes are planned.
Special shuttles will 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 S. 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 S. 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.
Riders can stay informed by subscribing to transit alerts to receive text messages or email updates for the routes they ride. Metro customer service can help riders with trip planning at (206) 553-3000 from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. Fare information is available online.
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.
Seattle Streetcar: Due to massive crowds expected around Pioneer Square, the last stop of the First Hill Streetcar will be at Fifth Avenue and S. Jackson Street, not at Occidental Avenue.
Kitsap Transit riders
Kitsap Transit offers direct service to downtown Seattle on its fast ferries from Bremerton, Kingston, and Southworth.
On the Bremerton/Seattle route, Kitsap Transit plans to use all three of its 118-passenger vessels to offer additional fast-ferry trips. The third boat will operate one-way trips only to Seattle in the morning and one-way trips only to Bremerton in the afternoon. In the event of any mechanical issues with any of the vessels, Kitsap Transit will prioritize maintaining its regular two-boat schedule.
On the Kingston route, Kitsap Transit will operate MV Finest with an additional crew to open up its upper-level deck and allow loads up to 349 passengers per trip. On the Southworth route, Kitsap Transit will operate a 250-passenger boat.
Pierce Transit riders
Pierce Transit is providing special event bus service from the 512 Park & Ride and Tacoma Dome Station (TDS) to Federal Way Downtown Station, to connect fans to Sound Transit’s 1 Line Link light rail into downtown Seattle.
This special event service will begin at 6 a.m. at the 512 Park & Ride and will also pick up passengers at TDS before heading to Federal Way. Service will run approximately every 15 minutes until 9 a.m.
Board the special event bus:
- at the 512 Park & Ride at Zone I
- at Tacoma Dome Station (TDS) on the East side of G Street at Zone F
Community Transit riders
In Snohomish County, Community Transit provides frequent bus connections to Link light rail and Sounder train stations. People are encouraged to take the bus to Link or Sounder trains instead of driving since Park & Ride lots are expected to fill up early.
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 will also 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.
The best resource on how to use transit to get downtown will be from the transit system that’s used. Go to the website of your favorite mode of transportation to receive more information on transit to the parade.
King County Metro additional tips
- Check Community Transit’s Travel to Seattle page for information on transit and Park & Ride options.
- Expect reroutes on CT Route 424 and ST Routes 510 and 515.
- Plan your trip to and from the parade in advance by using Community Transit’s Plan My Trip tool, or contact Customer Care at (425) 353-RIDE (7433) for personalized trip planning services.
“An event like this is when public transit is as valuable as JSN open in the end zone,” Metro General Manager Michelle Allison said. “It’s all hands on deck for Metro as we work together with one goal in mind: making sure fans can get safely to the celebration and back home again. Bring your excitement, pack your patience, have a good time, and let transit get you there!”
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.
Nate Connors is a traffic reporter for KIRO Newsradio. Follow him on X. Read more of his stories here. Submit news tips here.
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