Transit changes made around Climate Pledge Arena

SEATTLE — More than 17,000 people can now pack into Climate Pledge Arena, and the Seattle Department of Transportation says more people means more traffic.

The agency has made some transit changes in and around the Uptown neighborhood to make getting around easier.

It’s a big week for Climate Pledge Arena and Seattle Center. The Foo Fighters played there Tuesday, with the Seattle Kraken home opener and Coldplay yet to come.

Whether you drive, walk, bike or take the Monorail, a lot has changed since the last time you may have been to an event back when it was KeyArena.

“The capacity for the Monorail to get people on and off has increased tremendously and that’s what people will notice,” said Deborah Daoust with the City of Seattle.

Modernizing the World’s Fair relic, the city has expanded the Westlake Center Station by adding more gates, more doors and an automated ticket process.

“Plus, the Monorail takes the Orca card now,” said Daoust.

Other improvements have also been made.

Cyclists will find more than 150 short-term parking stalls and a newly-established network of protected lanes. Crosswalks have been widened and there are new bus lanes along Queen Anne Avenue.

“For those who still want to drive, we’ve been doing lots of upgrades in our two garages,” said Daoust.

Travelers using Lyft or Uber should prepare for some limitations. Rideshare drop-off will need to be either near the Museum of Pop Culture, McCaw Hall or the Pacific Science Center. Also, for the first 30 minutes following the end of any event, drivers cannot pick up people near the arena. Instead, people will need to walk east toward Thomas Street or Dexter Avenue.

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