Seattle Squeeze 2 Starts Saturday: Here's What To Expect

SEATTLE, WA - Exactly one month ago, we warned you: the second phase of the Seattle Squeeze is coming.

And now it's actually here.

Over 800 daily bus trips will move out of the downtown Seattle transit tunnel beginning March 23, setting up the potential for more congestion getting in an out of the city. It's a milestone that will, like the Alaskan Way Viaduct closure, alter commutes up and down Puget Sound.

It's not just extra buses on city streets. Bus commuters using 15 different routes will have to get acquainted with new boarding locations along 2nd, 3rd, 5th, and 6th avenues. These include some of the busiest routes, like the 150 from Kent and Sound Transit's 550 from Bellevue.

>>>See all the King County Metro route changes coming this spring

Bus commuters whose routes run 3rd Avenue, the region's busiest bus corridor, will get a major efficiency upgrade. All-door boarding begins for all 42 3rd Avenue bus routes Saturday. That means passengers can pay fares before buses arrive - and when they do, you can board at the back doors instead of waiting in line at the front.

"Passengers will be able to tap their ORCA card at fare readers prior to boarding, accelerating boarding times and shortening the amount of time buses wait at each stop by an estimated 20 percent. The greater efficiency will enable Metro to add 30 more trips per hour in a corridor that 50,000 passengers board each weekday," Metro said in a recent statement about all-door boarding.

Some solutions for bus delays might create slight problems for drivers.

Seattle is creating new bus-only lanes for those 15 routes getting new boarding locations. The one along 5th Avenue will be bus-only all day, and one along 6th Avenue will be evenings-only. Those lanes will span Cherry Street to Olive Way. Third Avenue will remain bus-only from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.

(And if you think you can cheat and drive in bus-only lanes, consider this: it's a $136 fine for just the first infraction.)

The transit tunnel is closing for two reasons: construction on the expansion of the Washington State Convention Center, which forced the closure of the Convention Place bus stop last July, and expanded light rail service. New light rail stops north of the University of Washington will open in 2021, and the Eastside light rail line opens in 2023.

Sound Transit says that light rail commuters can expect 6-minute headways up and down the light rail line after buses leave the downtown tunnel on Saturday.

What's next for the Seattle Squeeze? This spring and summer, watch for accelerated demolition around the viaduct, and eventually the rebuilding of Alaskan Way. SR 99 tunnel tolling will begin sometime this summer, pushing potentially more cars onto Seattle streets.