New Neighborhood Shorter Bus Route To Light Rail Station Starts Today

Warning notices put on all

existing Metro 25 bus stops.

This alert was on NE 45th Street in front of Pro Robics

 

 

 

 

new bus stop and signage eastbound on NE 45th Street

 

new bus stop on Mary Gates Memorial Drive in front of Talaris

The new Metro Bus Route #78 started its weekday service today and runs from about 6am-6pm.  

The route begins and ends in the Children's Hospital turn around on NE 45th Street.  It then turns left onto 42nd Avenue NE, then right onto NE 41st, and stops in front of Talaris. This stop is located at the southeastern-most point of the Route 78 pattern in order to place it near the greatest number of former Route 25 riders.

The bus then veers to the left staying on NE 45th Street and stops in front of Burgermaster.

Next, it proceeds up the NE 45th Street hill through the UW campus and makes two stops along Stevens Way. 

Those connecting to Light Rail exit at the top of the new Rainier Vista plaza, which provides an improved lighted walkway straight down the hill and onto the Montlake overpass leading to the entrance of the Link Light Rail Station.

The total time estimated time from Children's Hospital to the Light Rail is about 25 minutes.  The bus route runs a continuous loop all day with no layovers.

 

After going through the UW, the bus crosses 15th Avenue NE to NE  Pacific Place Triangle and then stops at a new bus stop in front of the HEC Ed Pavilion. Passengers can exit there as well for the Light Rail station. Exiting at this stop instead of the one at Rainier Plaza adds about 8 extra minutes of travel time.  

 

The bus then travels northbound  on Montlake Boulevard and turns right at the 5 way intersection from NE 45th St onto Mary Gates Memorial Drive, the first stop on the way back to Children's Hospital.  

 

This stop is a companion stop for the existing stop on westbound 45th at Union Bay Place. So passengers who board the Route 78 at one stop can deboard at the other. This pair of stops is well-situated to use existing pedestrian infrastructure (crosswalks, sidewalks) to facilitate access to and from the stops. These stops are convenient for those living at the UW's Laurel Village multi-family housing complex.

The Laurelhurst Community Club (LCC) has voiced their concerns about the dangerous location of this stop a the busy corner of Mary Gates Memorial Drive and NE 45th Street and has suggested Metro move it onto Mary Gates Drive.

One nearby neighbor said about this but stop:

Metro should move this stop down the road south at least about fifty more yards. Right now if it stays where it is, it is just an accident just waiting to happen with cars and pedestrians at such an extremely bus intersection.

 

 

After Route #78 ends for the day, Route #65 will come from the Light Rail Station along Montlake Boulevard heading north, and stop in front of Seattle Children's Hospital on 40th Avenue NE and NE 45th Street.  This route operates more frequently than the #78 as well as on Saturdays. 

Route 65 and 75 will serve the edge of Laurelhurst, coming about every 15 minutes until about 12:30 am and 1:30am respectively.

Two bikes fit inside each train and two outside. The Light Rail station is planning for 80 bike storage facility.  

There is no official place to drop off passengers by car, nor is there any official Light Rail parking. 

 

Metro considered the ridership on the previous Route 25 when determining the routing of the Route 78. The new Route 78 hours of operation most closely align with the highest ridership hours of the previous Route 25. 

Then, Metro determined stop locations based on the routing of new Route 78, the locations of existing stops, potential high-ridership locations, and safe pedestrian facilities like crosswalks and sidewalks.

Metro requested three new stop locations for the new route and SDOT approved. Metro notified by mail all adjacent property owners, including those in Laurelhurst.
 

Go here to see the full Metro Bus Route #78.  And full service change details can be found on Metro's website here. 

Here is in-depth information about the history and planning of the new route.

 

Neighborhood Bus Route 25 Proposed To Be Replaced With Week-Day Only Route 78 When Light Rail Starts, Learn More wwAt Public Meeting Tonight

 

 

Metro Bus Route #25, which serves Laurelhurst once an hour, may be deleted and change to week-day only service with the new proposed route #78 with fewer neighborhood stops but more frequent service.

Metro states that "Route 25 has low ridership. Metro proposes to delete it and use its resources to improve service in areas with more riders.

Metro gives this new option: "In Laurelhurst, use new Route 78 or go to Sand Point Way to reach revised Route 65 or Route 75, which would have more service."

This is one of thirty-three Metro bus route changes proposed and currently under consideration by the King County Council, which is holding a special public meeting tonight starting at 6:30pm at the Mountaineers Club (7700 Sand Point Way NE).

The public can learn more about proposed bus service changes, detailed here, at the meeting which starts with an Open House and public testimony at 7pm.
 
The changes would start at the beginning of next year when Link light rail starts operating from the University of Washington and Capitol Hill stations.  Link will provide an eight-minute trip between Husky Stadium and downtown Seattle.

Metro says the new routes would make it easier for riders to connect with the new light rail service and that the changes would also improve bus networks in northeast Seattle, major corridors and east-west service between places like Sand Point using resources saved by trimming bus service that duplicates the new Link service.
 

Here are the proposed route changes affecting bus travel in Laurelhurst:

 

Route 78 - replacement for 25 that travels through Laurelhurst.

service weekdays only every 30 minutes from 6:30am-midnight

 

Route 65 - touches the corner of Laurelhurst by Children's Hospital

service every 10-15 minutes

 

Route 31 or 32 - both start near Children's Hospital on Sand Point Way

service every 20-30 minutes

The Laurelhurst Community Club has proposed a 7-day shuttle loop running every 15 minutes from the UW station to the University Village and several points in Laurelhurst (not just on Sandpoint Way NE), then to Children's Hospital, Center for Spiritual Living, Magnuson Park, and return to the station.  The route would be run through the back sides of the E-1 parking lot at the UW to avoid Montlake traffic and keep it moving. However, LCC said that the UW does not want it.

LCC said about Metro's #78 proposed new route:

It will offer a shorter ride to Light Rail since it goes directly along Montlake Boulevard and not through the UW campus. However, there will be only about 4 stops, compared to #25 that had about 17 stops. 

Here is the final proposed #78 route: 

-Originates as before in Wedgewood, down to Sandpoint Way at NE 65th Street.  -Runs along Sandpoint Way NE , and turns onto 47th Avenue NE.  -Turns right onto NE 45th Street at Laurelhurst Elementary School corner.  -Turns left onto 42nd Avenue NE.  -Turns right onto NE 41st Street.  -Exits neighborhood at 5 corners lights near Baskin-Robbins and goes back to NE 45th Street and through to Montlake Boulevard and to Light Rail station at Husky Stadium.  

#78 would replace the originally proposed DART (Dial a ride transit) , week-day route #941, every 60 minutes from 6am-7pm, travelling on 47th Avenue NE , off Sandpoint Way NE , turning right at Laurelhurst Elementary School, and travelling west along NE 45th Street, then re-joining Sandpoint Way NE along Montlake Blvd.   Or, a passenger could dial a ride to come to their old bus stop if they did it 2 hours in advance.

LCC urges  that neighbors provide their input to Metro and SDOT or attend tonight.

The Laurelhurst Community Club said they are glad they achieved more than the very few proposed stops originally proposed for inside Laurelhurst as the neighborhood was going to get nothing but Sandpoint Way service "which is really inconvenient for many residents."

 

 

A Laurelhurst resident commented about the changes:

We recently moved to Laurelhurst and were surprised by how bad the bus service is to downtown. My wife works in Pioneer Square and tried a couple bus options.  

The 25 meanders through the U District and Capitol Hill taking an hour to get downtown in the morning. She also tried parking by the Center for Urban Horticulture and taking a bus on Sand Point Way to the U District and transferring to an express bus. It was still just under an hour. Now she ends up driving to Sodo and catching a bus there.

It's nice to see the proposed route changes are centered around connecting with the Link light rail. The frequency of the trains is being increased to every 6 minutes during commute times. Combined with the advertised "8 minute travel time to downtown," Laurelhurst will hopefully be only a half hour away from downtown via a connection with the new route 78.

Alex Pedersen, a Northeast Seattle neighborhood advocate said in his monthly newsletter:
"SDOT and King County Metro are cutting some commuter bus lines or re-routing them through the U District to feed the light rail stations, even after Seattle voters approved more $ for buses." 

 

King County Council is accepting comments until they make a decision on the changes.

For more information about the proposed changes go here. and here for the King County Council announcement.

Go here for detailed bus route changes.

For questions about the process, contact King County Council at 206-477-1000.

 

 

 

Neighborhood Metro Bus Service Update



Laurelhurst Community Club (LCC)'s most recent newsletter published information about the new Bus Route serving the neighborhood. It said:

Metro Bus Service

LCC is working with King County Council member Larry Gossett to clarify the times for bus service through Laurelhurst to the Link Rail at Husky Stadium.  

The November LCC Letter stated the bus would run from 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. However, upon review of the currently proposed route information, the evening service is scheduled only until 6:30 p.m.  

LCC hopes to persuade Metro to extend the hours to better accommodate evening commutes and downtown event access.

 

The Laurelhurst Blog posted about the new Metro Bus Route 78, approved by King County Council in October, along with numerous other route revisions throughout the City. 

Long-time neighborhood route 25, was deleted due to low ridership. Route #78 will run about every 30-40 minutes from 6am to 6pm and will operate in a loop starting at Children's Hospital running to the new light rail station at Husky Stadium, scheduled to open in March of next year. 

LCC is pleased with the new route which they said is basically a dedicated loop Laurelhurst shuttle service to and from the Light Rail station at Husky Stadium.  The bus route will be  much shorter than route 25.

The loop goes as far as the Children's turn-around on NE 45th, goes down NE 45 Street to the University Village, through the UW Campus, along Pacific Street and onto Montlake Boulevard to the front door of the Light Rail station.  Then back into the neighborhood via Mary Gates Way, up NE 41st Street  to 42nd Avenue NE, left onto 42 Avenue NE, same as the current route, then right on NE 45 Street and back up to the Children's turnaround.

At  the October Laurelhurst Community Club monthly Board meeting, King County Councilman Larry Gossett, and five key staff members from Metro attended to discuss the changes and hear input from LCC and neighbors.

Many Laurelhurst residents expressed their views on the proposed new bus route 78, most of whom expressed the need for more convenient connectivity to the new Light Rail station at the UW Husky Stadium.

One LCC Board member said about the approved new neighborhood route 78:

LCC was directly responsible for getting a dedicated bus shuttle from the neighborhood to the light rail station. 

Larry Gossett and the Metro Planners who came to our last LCC meeting basically gave us what we asked for.  It would not have happened without the support of Gossett and LCC who took the initiative to get him involved.  LCC gave him and the Metro planners a very clear message as to what we wanted for the neighborhood and he delivered.

We will be getting a dedicated Laurelhurst only bus going to and from the Light Rail station every 30 minutes.  The only disappointment is that is doesn't go very far into the neighborhood, but it's our own bus, and maybe we can get it expanded over time.   

However, Metro  could have just dropped a Laurelhurst route all together, but they in fact are giving us extraordinary service if we're willing to walk/bike to the few Laurelhurst bus stops.

LCC said that apparently the change came about because Route 71 was reinstated.  The original plan was to combine Route 71 and Route 25 into the new Route 78, however View Ridge and Wedgwood residents were not happy about losing Route 71. 

"So the outcry from these folks, plus our comments to Gossett and the Metro planners who came to our LCC meeting must have done the trick.  We owe the 2 Metro planners plus Larry Gossett a huge acknowledgement. They heard us loud and clear," LCC said.

 

LCC said that Council Member Gossett called Josh Kavanaugh, UW's Director of Transportation Services, the day after the LCC meeting to work out the new plan, based on input from LCC and others.
 

LCC said:

Now we all have to get ready to use the new service it to make it viable.  Most importantly we encourage neighbors to take the bus thereby insuring we don't lose the service.

 

Metro says about the revised route changes:

The approved changes to Metro Transit routes serving parts of Capitol Hill, the Central District, the University District, Wedgwood, Laurelhurst and Lake City are focused on avoiding duplication of transit service and increasing efficiency on bus routes.  

The majority of the revised routes are focused on delivering bus riders to the new link light rail stations while making transit service more efficient and giving riders a way to move in and out of downtown Seattle that relies less on congested roadways

 

Go here to see the detailed #78 route.

For more information go here to a recent Laurelhurst Blog post.

For more information about the new route serving the neighborhood and vicinity go here.  Go here for detailed bus route changes.

For questions about the process, contact King County Council at 206-477-1000.

New Neighborhood Bus Route 78 Will Be Dedicated Short Loop From Laurelhurst To UW Light Rail Station





Proposed Metro Bus Route 78, serving Laurelhurst, was recently approved by King County Council, along with numerous other route revisions throughout the City. 

Long-time neighborhood route 25, was deleted due to low ridership. Route #78 will run about every 30-40 minutes from 6am to 6pm and will operate in a loop starting at Children's Hospital running to the new light rail station at Husky Stadium, scheduled to open in March of next year. 

LCC is pleased with the new route which they said is basically a dedicated loop Laurelhurst shuttle service to and from the Light Rail station at Husky Stadium.  The bus route will be  much shorter than route 25.

The loop goes as far as the Children's turn-around on NE 45th, goes down NE 45 Street to the University Village, through the UW Campus, along Pacific Street and onto Montlake Boulevard to the front door of the Light Rail station.  Then back into the neighborhood via Mary Gates Way, up NE 41st Street  to 42nd Avenue NE, left onto 42 Avenue NE, same as the current route, then right on NE 45 Street and back up to the Children's turnaround.

At this month's Laurelhurst Community Club monthly Board meeting, King County Councilman Larry Gossett, and five key staff members from Metro attended to discuss the changes and hear input from LCC and neighbors.

Many Laurelhurst residents expressed their views on the proposed new bus route 78, most of whom expressed the need for more convenient connectivity to the new Light Rail station at the UW Husky Stadium.

One LCC Board member said about the approved new neighborhood route 78:

LCC was directly responsible for getting a dedicated bus shuttle from the neighborhood to the light rail station. 

Larry Gossett and the Metro Planners who came to our last LCC meeting basically gave us what we asked for.  It would not have happened without the support of Gossett and LCC who took the initiative to get him involved.  LCC gave him and the Metro planners a very clear message as to what we wanted for the neighborhood and he delivered.

We will be getting a dedicated Laurelhurst only bus going to and from the Light Rail station every 30 minutes.  The only disappointment is that is doesn't go very far into the neighborhood, but it's our own bus, and maybe we can get it expanded over time.   

However, Metro  could have just dropped a Laurelhurst route all together, but they in fact are giving us extraordinary service if we're willing to walk/bike to the few Laurelhurst bus stops.

LCC said that apparently the change came about because Route 71 was reinstated.  The original plan was to combine Route 71 and Route 25 into the new Route 78, however View Ridge and Wedgwood residents were not happy about losing Route 71. 

"So the outcry from these folks, plus our comments to Gossett and the Metro planners who came to our LCC meeting must have done the trick.  We owe the 2 Metro planners plus Larry Gossett a huge acknowledgement. They heard us loud and clear," LCC said.

 

LCC said that Council Member Gossett called Josh Kavanaugh, UW's Director of Transportation Services, the day after the LCC meeting to work out the new plan, based on input from LCC and others.
 

LCC said:

Now we all have to get ready to use the new service it to make it viable.  Most importantly we encourage neighbors to take the bus thereby insuring we don't lose the service.

 

Metro says about the revised route changes:

The approved changes to Metro Transit routes serving parts of Capitol Hill, the Central District, the University District, Wedgwood, Laurelhurst and Lake City are focused on avoiding duplication of transit service and increasing efficiency on bus routes.  

The majority of the revised routes are focused on delivering bus riders to the new link light rail stations while making transit service more efficient and giving riders a way to move in and out of downtown Seattle that relies less on congested roadways

 

Go here to see the detailed #78 route.

For more information go here to a recent Laurelhurst Blog post.

For more information about the new route serving the neighborhood and vicinity go here.  Go here for detailed bus route changes.

For questions about the process, contact King County Council at 206-477-1000.

Why Were There So Many, Many #62 Buses Going Up And Down NE 45th Street On April 9-10 Week-end?

On the week-end of April 9 and 10, many residents reported numerous buses marked #62 travelling along NE 45th Street, just one bus after another. 

Neighbors living in that area were shocked to see so many buses and curious as they say there has never been any week-end bus service and additionally residents have never seen this bus number in the neighborhood. It's always been #25 and now #78 which started last month. 

Residents said:

I wanted to make you aware that we had probably 200+ Metro buses drive by our house this weekend, up and down NE 45th Street. On Saturday, there was never a time a bus was not coming, parked at, or leaving the Seattle Children's stop. Never. At times, there were more than one, sometimes one right behind the other. This started at 6:05 a.m. and was still running when I went to bed at 10:30 pm on Saturday. Today is Sunday, and it's the same thing. It's not the 78, it's the 62, which shouldn't even be this far south. I thought Laurelhurst was not getting bus service on Sunday at all, so this should not be going on.

The noise and vibration the numerous busses are creating going in and out and also while parked is an absolute neighborhood nuisance. They never turn off the bus while parked. And please note there were never any passengers on the bus, not one. Driver only.

I saw one Bus today, on Sunday, turn left from Sandpoint Way onto 40th Avenue and then turn left up NE 45th. There is no reason for them to do this. I suspect they are merely using this as a place to turn around! Nobody is riding these buses and it's not on any published route. If this is for Children's benefit, then this should be on their side, not in a residential neighborhood.

We can't be the only people bothered by this literal invasion of Metro buses. I intend to contact Metro as well. We've heard others are also annoyed.

We understand from Metro information and communications that the only busses running in Laurelhurst is the #78 on weekdays. And that other busses that would serve Laurelhurst on the week-ends stop on Sand Point near Children's Hospital and don't come into the neighborhood at all.  

We also noticed a bus, not #78, going eastbound on NE 45th Street and turning left onto 40th Avenue NE, going past the Emergency Room entrance then connecting back onto Sand Point Way. We have never seen a bus on this very narrow, very short road. It is dangerous to have a bus there as the hospital shuttles use that small road as well as emergency vehicles.

 The Laurelhurst Blog Staff contacted Metro representatives who said:

Starting on March 26, Metro introduced the new Route 62, which is currently operating every 15 minutes for most of the day. This route provides a new east-west, “crosstown” transit connection for riders to/from Northeast Seattle and Magnuson Park and NOAA, where one didn’t exist prior to the recent March service change.  

Weekdays the route travels to its terminus on the NOAA campus and makes a loop there. When NOAA is closed, after approximately 6:30pm on weeknights and all day on weekends, Route 62 loops through Magnuson Park on a 90-day “pilot” basis (through June 25th).  

The purpose of this 90-day pilot, as agreed to by Metro, the Seattle Parks and Recreation Department (SPR), and the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) is to enable the evaluation of community concerns, allow time and space to address funding questions (e.g., to address pavement damage); and assess any unintended consequences of transit operations in Magnuson Park—and to work collaboratively on solutions.

As part of the pilot, Metro agreed to reroute buses on the days when special events are occurring within Magnuson Park, as identified by SPR staff, to a turnaround loop elsewhere to maintain Route 62 service.   This turn around  would only be considered for use if Metro was unable to safely and efficiently use an alternative routing identified through Magnuson Park. 

On April 9-10, on a trial basis, Metro routed buses on that new turnaround loop which was in Laurelhurst. The route was going along Sand Point Way, left on 40th Avenue NE, left on NE 45th Street and then turning around just west of 45th Avenue Northeast, where bus operators have access to a comfort station.  

The bus you report going east on NE 45th and left on 40th might have been working to get back on route after a wrong turn. A district supervisor reported that some bus operators had to be assisted when they missed a turn and erroneously continued past the designated turnaround loop.  

With any reroute, or even regular bus service, a driver may occasionally make a wrong turn. This most often happens with new service or special routing. We continue to work with transit operators and reinforce new information to help them do a better job understanding specific reroute instructions. We apologize and ask for the public’s understanding on these relatively rare occurrences

In response to comments about busses bunching up on that week-end during the reroute on NE 45th Street, this happens with such frequent service, every 15-minutes along with some traffic delays, passengers boarding and exiting elsewhere, and the rhythm of individual drivers which all cause several buses to appear together unintentionally.  This is not the goal or plan.  

As well, this reroute required additional time than the normal schedule. As well, buses are typically empty, or near empty as they approach the end of a route. 


Regarding Bus #65: it operates regular service on weekdays and weekends on 40th Avenue Northeast between NE 45th Street and Sand Point Way.  The outbound Route 65 buses travels eastbound on NE 45th Street then turns left on 40th Avenue NE, serving Children’s Hospital, and then continues on 40th Avenue northbound, jogging west on NE 55th Street to 35th Avenue Northeast to Lake City. 

Metro is looking specifically at the April 9-10 operating experience and the comments the Laurelhurst Blog Staff sent us regarding community concerns, as we review the effectiveness of turning buses around in this location.  

We will consider the concerns expressed as we prepare for how transit service will operate during Magnuson Park activities and the necessity of future reroutes.  

Metro is continuing to evaluate the use of NE 45th Street/40th Avenue NE pathway (used April 9-10 weekend) and other potentially feasible rerouting paths in Northeast Seattle for future special event days, construction activity, or other disruptions at Magnuson Park.   

The Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) Department agreed to temporarily pilot the use of Magnuson Park as a turnaround and terminal (on weekday evenings and weekends) while asking Metro to find alternative routing and terminal location on their special event days.  

SPR is the best source to ask how they determined which event dates would apply to a re-route and new turnaround in the neighborhood. 

This is an emerging topic we’re working on with SDOT and the Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) department. We’re noting issues raised by riders or the community as part of the evaluation.

Residents can receive reroute information, which are typically communicate to subscribers via Twitter and also available on Metro’s website as they become available.  Regarding the activity on April 9-10, a  transit alert was issued regarding the reroute to route subscribers on Friday, April 8. 

The Laurelhurst Community Club (LCC) has contacted Metro to understand and gather information and told the Laurelhurst Blog Staff:

Metro's new route system is still in the testing mode. hat occurred on April 9-10 is a legitimate problem for this pilot route.

It is helpful that they are accepting constructive feedback to make future changes, as the whole system is a "work in progress".  

LCC, we believe, was not informed of the actual pilot route, but "some service" near Children's Hospital was mentioned by Metro on the weekend without details. 

LCC will be work with Metro and SDOT to be sure that that neighbors concerns are heard, and that NE 40th St is not used as a congested turnaround, especially on weekends.  

Residents can comment on this issue here or by phone at 206-553-3000. 

Go here to subscribe to transit alerts, including re-routes.

 

 

New Neighborhood Bus Route To Have Up To 5 Stops on 47th Near Laurelhurst School And Other Impacts To Neighbors, Submit Your Comments Today

At Monday night's monthly Laurelhurst Community Club meeting, the issue of  transportation needs for the NE area and the new Route #78 to serve Laurelhurst was discussed with featured guest, King County Councilman Larry Gossett, and five key staff members from Metro, including Deanna Martin, as well as other related agencies.

Public comment is being taken through today on this important issue which will impact bus service in Laurelhurst and connecting with the UW Light Rail station slated to open early next year. City Council is expected to make a decision on Monday of next week.

An LCC Board member told the Laurelhurst Blog staff that the meeting was well attended by a variety of neighbors, most of whom expressed the need for more convenient connectivity to the new Light Rail station at the UW Husky Stadium.

At the meeting, Metro confirmed that Route #25 is planned to be eliminated due to low ridership in favor of the new Route #78, which neighbors believe would have increased ridership due to the shorter ride (30 minutes including Light Rail connections), instead of the current 1 hour travel time.
 

The #78 route will operate in a loop to and through to the UW campus along Steven's Way.  However to then connect to Light Rail, riders would need to walk about 4-5 blocks along the UW's new Rainier Vista area, then across the elevated skybridge to connect to the station.  Neighbors said that the distance is too far for them to use that connection, if they have even minor mobility challenges.

Neighbors also expressed concerns about the number of stops along some neighborhood residential streets with the new route, particularly 47th Avenue NE near Laurelhurst Elementary School with  proposed stops  about every 15 minutes or every 1/4 mile per Metro guidelines.  

One neighbor said this frequency would completely change the character of the street.

The route then continues westbound on NE45th Street then turns left onto 42nd Avenue NE to NE 41 Street. Neighbors living in those areas commented that the new frequent bus service would negatively affect an already congested area, with more people trying to find parking to board the bus, as well as bus fumes and bus noise. 

Other neighbors were concerned about too few stops and hilly terrain to board the bus, especially for the elderly and those with disabilities.

One neighbor said that it appears that this new route is the major feeder route from Wedgewood, starting at NE 85th Street, through View Ridge, along Sand Point Way to the new Husky rail station.  So it  "means we will have many hundreds of people riding through our neighborhood every day.  The route 25 was as loop in Laurellhurst so we didn't have outside people coming through. That's all gong to change."

 

Another issue discussed with the Metro representatives was frequency.  Some neighbors requested daily service, while others suggested only morning and evening peak periods of service with no weekends.

LCC suggested that Metro run a short shuttle circuit, or " jitney" sized service along the back roads of the UW campus, that would connect more closely with the Light Rail Station without having the long walk from the campus. Metro looked into how the busses would drive safely on the unpaved roads in discussion and concluded they were not up to code as far as safety for the busses. The group mentioned using vans instead on the unpaved roads.

It was suggested by LCC that Metro adopt a pilot program to test the suggested transportation program to connect Laurelhurst with the Light Rail Station perhaps even through the perimeter of the E-1 parking lot since it is underutilized.

 

Councilman Gossett said he and his King County team would devote resources to seeing if a pilot could be implemented with the small , but frequent connection to Light Rail. Some transit connection were assured, but it may remain as the #78 route.

 

An LCC Board member said in general about the meeting:

Lots of pros and cons to every aspect of the bus service, but at least the needs of the community were heard, and we will see what Metro can devise for both connectivity, easy access and frequency to the new Light Rail.   

Though not expressed at the meeting, the real bottom line is that the new bus service will make it highly desirable to take public transit downtown and enhance the overall livability of the neighborhood. 

Most likely, we need to wait and see how the new route works out for the neighborhood, maybe review the new route after six months and get additional feedback to give to Gossett and the Metro planners.  This meeting started the dialogue. 

 

For more information go here to a recent Laurelhurst Blog post.

For more information about the new route serving the neighborhood and vicinity go here.  Go here for detailed bus route changes.

For questions about the process, contact King County Council at 206-477-1000.

 

 

 

New Neighborhood Bus Service Starts This Week

Many new Metro bus routes started this week, as well as some routes removed, to better feed into the new Link light rail stations.  In total over 20 existing King County Metro routes were affected  - including 14 routes deleted, 7 new routes created and 10 routes revised.

Laurelhurst has 2 new bus routes, 31 and 32 route, running from 5:45am to 11:30pm, stopping at the NE 45th Street Hospital turnaround

Metro published this information:

Routes 31 and 32 have been revised in the University District to provide improved east-west transit connectivity along NE 45th Street and to make connections between the new U District Station and Seattle Children’s Hospital. 

Routes 31 and 32 no longer have stops along Stevens Way on the University of Washington campus, and the route is no longer connected to Route 75, which now connects with Route 45 to provide direct service to the University of Washington Campus along Stevens Way.

Alternative service is provided by routes 31, 32, 45, and 75.Between the University of Washington and Seattle Children’s, use revised routes 45 and 75, providing connected service along Stevens Way, NE 45th St, and Sandpoint Way NE. 

Between the U District Station and Seattle Children’s, and Laurelhurst Elementary School, use revised routes 31 and 32, providing a combined frequent, all-day service along NE 45th St to/from 45th Av NE.

Metro Bus Route 78, ran  for about four years and replaced long-time neighborhood route 25, which was deleted due to low ridership. The route went throughout the neighborhood with multiple stops, but only ran once an hour and ridership was low. Route 78 ran from Children's Hospital to the UW Light rail station at Husky Stadium.

Children’s Hospital recently installed new lighting at the NE 45th Street bus stop and sidewalk to improve pedestrian safety, including  three new light poles and one additional light fixture. Metro installed two small signs within the bus turnaround.

Go to Metro's website for more information about Metro’s fall service revisions.

Metro 78 Rerouted This Month Due To UW Campus Projects

Starting this week through August, Metro Bus Route 78, will be rerouted due to two construction projects due to the closure on Stevens Way, on the UW campus.    

The Laurelhurst Community Club (LCC) told the Laurelhurst Blog that it "looks like the route will go up the viaduct, down 15th Avenue NE, and around past the UW Medical Center to the regular stop by Husky Stadium.

The UW posted this information on the re-route:
CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL LOOP -  From Children’s Hospital -  Regular route to Westbound NE 45 Street and Montlake Blvd NE
Continue on westbound on NE 45 Street
Left on southbound 15 Avenue NE 
Continue on 15 Avenue NE 
Continue on regular route to Children’s Hospital 

MISSED STOPS 
WB MONTLAKE BLVD NE/FS NE 45 ST
SB STEVENS WY/FS PEND OREILLE RD 
SB STEVENS WY/NS BENTON LN WB STEVENS WY/NS RAINIER VISTA
WB STEVENS WY/FS GARFIELD LN 
WB GRANT LANE/FS STEVENS WY 

USE STOPS 
WB NE 45 ST/FM UNION BAY PL NE
WB NE 45 ST/NS 27 AV NE – TEMPORARY STOP 
WB NE 45 ST/AT 19 AV NE – TEMPORARY STOP 
SB 15 AV NE/FS NE 43 ST 
SB 15 AV NE/NS NE CAMPUS PKWY 
SB 15 AV NE/FS NE 40 ST 

Legend   
Direction: EB = Eastbound   IB = Inbound   NB = Northbound   OB = Outbound   SB = Southbound   WB = Westbound 
Routing Turns: C = Continue L = Left R = Right 
Stop Orientation: AT = At FM = Far Side – Mid-block FS = Far side – just after the intersection NM = Near side – Mid-block NS = Near side – Just before the intersection OP = Opposite 

Go here for more information.

Route 78 started service in March of 2016, shortly after Light Rail began its service. Long-time neighborhood Route 25 was deleted due to low ridership. Route #78 is a much shorter route, running about every 30-40 minutes from 6am to 6pm to the UW (Montlake) Light Rail Station.   

Tonight Learn About New Bus Route And Light Rail, Buy Your ORCA Card And Also Hear About Upcoming Repairs To Tennis Court

Don't miss the Metro/Link Light Rail "ORCA To GO" van which will be at the Laurelhurst Community Center tonight from 6:30-7:30pm tonight.

At 7pm Metro will give  a detailed presentation of the new Route #78 bus connection to the new Light Rail Stadium Station. Light Rail begins service on Saturday and Route 78 starts service on March 26.

At the van, neighbors can buy an ORCA card, including senior and youth cards with proof of age, or also reload cards. Transfers between buses and Link are free with the use of an ORCA card.

At the general LCC meeting, Metro will answer a series of questions LCC has asked them to prepare for, then they will take questions from neighbors service, bus stops. Metro will demonstrate "how to" use the bus and Light Rail, where the stops are located, discuss prices, how to pay, etc.

"Bring the whole family  to learn about the new transit options!" LCC told the Blog Staff.

Long-time neighborhood route 25, will be deleted due to low ridership. Route #78 will be a much shorter route, running about every 30-40 minutes from 6am to 6pm to the UW (Montlake) light rail station.  

The route will go as far as the Children's turn-around on NE 45th, goes down NE 45 Street to the University Village, through the UW Campus, along Pacific Street and onto Montlake Boulevard to the front door of the Light Rail station. 

Then back into the neighborhood via Mary Gates Way, up NE 41st Street  to 42nd Avenue NE, left onto 42 Avenue NE, same as the current route, then right on NE 45 Street and back up to the Children's turnaround.

At 7:30pm the Seattle Parks and Recreation will give an overview of the upcoming Laurelhurst Tennis Court drainage Improvement project, which involves the replacement of the Laurelhurst drainage system installed in the early 1900s, which are in poor condition and require an upgrade.

The goal of the project is to improve drainage of the tennis court and bang board courts, to reduce flooding and to reduce ongoing maintenance needs.

The southern tennis courts will close this spring for construction. The courts are scheduled to open in time for Summer Tennis Camp in late June.

Seattle Parks and Recreation will work with the contractor to minimize impacts to the neighborhood and park.

Here is the full agenda:
 

7:00
Transit Update:  Deanna Martin, Metro

7:30
Tennis Courts Drainage Renovation:  Karen O’Connor, Seattle Parks and Recreation Department: 
8:00
Administration
· Calls/Concerns from Neighbors
· Minutes
· Treasurer’s Report
8:15
Traffic/Pedestrian Safety

8:20
Crime Prevention

8:30
SR 520—Upcoming Grand Opening

8:40
CUCAC Report

8:45
Proposed FLUM Upzone near Children's Hospital

8:55
Talaris Update

9:00
Adjourn