Seattle May Day Protests Might Create Traffic Headaches

SEATTLE, WA - There are multiple protest marches planned for May Day in Seattle, and transportation officials warn that the demonstrations might cause delays on roadways and public transportation. The largest rally will happen mid-day and will move across a large swath of the city from the Central District to the Seattle Center. During the march, police will close streets on a rolling basis, according to the Seattle Department of Transportation.

There also might be unforeseen delays. There are two permitted marches planned for Monday, but there are a number of other May Day events planned. For example, a conservative group supportive of Donald Trump is planning a rally at 4 p.m. in downtown Seattle, which might conflict with other protests.

There's also been chatter about activists trying to shut down freeways - although state police have warned that anyone who does that will be jailed. Seattle City Councilwoman Kshama Sawant has called for mass civil disobedience on May Day; and although she is not asking people to do it, Sawant has highlighted the effectiveness of protests that shut down key pieces of infrastructure, like highways and airports.

Here's what the Seattle Department of Transportation is saying about the planned rallies:

• May Day: Veteran Anti-War Formation: March at 8:45 a.m. from the Garden of Remembrance at 2nd Ave and University. The march route is south on 2nd Ave, east on James St, east on E Cherry St, south on 23rd Avenue to Judkins Park. About 200 people are expected to attend.
• Annual May Day March for Workers and Immigrant Rights: Rally at Judkins Park at 11 a.m. followed by a march from Judkins Park to Seattle Center at 1 p.m. The march route is via S Jackson St, 12th Ave, Madison St, 6th Ave, Denny Way, 5th Ave N and will end at Seattle Center. About 8,000 people are expected to participate.

Meanwhile, King County Metro is planning a number of reroutes and changes due to protests:

• Bus reroutes are planned around the Immigration March (Judkins Park to Seattle Center) around 1 p.m., rerouting 11 Metro routes (7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 36, 43, 47, 49 & 106) and delaying ST Express Routes 522, 545, 554 and all other transit service traveling downtown Seattle streets.
• Bus rolling slowdowns or temporary short-term reroutes will be implemented as needed for all other expected and unexpected demonstrations, marches and rallies, managed by transit chiefs using information from Seattle Police Department, Seattle Emergency Operations Center and the Metro Transit Control Center.
• First Hill Streetcar service is expected to be disrupted during the day, and part of the route will not be served while marchers are on the street.
• South Lake Union Streetcar service might be disrupted by a march expected to occur between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. As a result, streetcar service will be halted at 9 a.m. after the end of the morning peak service, with cars tentatively scheduled to return to the base yard until supervisors determine service can be reliably restored.
• Link light rail service will operate more three-car trains in place of two-car trains during the day.

Patch.com file photo