3rd Avenue In Seattle Now Closed To Cars

SEATTLE, WA - A major traffic shift in downtown Seattle went into effect Monday morning. Third Avenue between South Washington Street and Olive Way will be closed to passenger vehicles all day from now on.

Only buses and bicycles will be allowed along 3rd Avenue between the hours of 6 a.m. and 7 p.m., seven days a week. The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) made the change to help the flow of buses that use 3rd Avenue. There are about 2,000 bus trips along 3rd each day, according to SDOT.

Along with the car restrictions, there are a few more things SDOT is changing about 3rd Avenue, including:

• You can't make left turns off of 3rd, 24/7
• No on-street parking along Prefontaine Place, 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week

Commercial delivery vehicles can still use 3rd Avenue between the hours of 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. (and overnight).

Image courtesy SDOT