Beginning Aug. 24 at 11:00 pm Metro will reroute the 70, 71 (72, 73), 83 and 309 to avoid construction on Fairview Avenue N. This temporary reroute will last about 4-6 months and will shift buses east from Virginia Street/Fairview Avenue N to Eastlake Avenue E/Stewart Street (southbound) and Olive Way/Howell Street/Eastlake Avenue E (northbound) (see map).
Tips for getting to the new stops
If you board a bus on Fairview Avenue N, you’ll now have to head east a few blocks to catch a bus on Eastlake Avenue E. Here are just a few suggestions for finding your way to the nearest stop:
Eastlake Avenue E/Aloha Street
To reach these stops we suggest you ride the South Lake Union Streetcar to the north terminal station at Ward Street, then cross Fairview and continue east up the stairwell to Eastlake Avenue E. Once you reach Eastlake, turn right and walk one block up to the stop at Aloha Street. Alternatively, you can turn right on Yale Avenue and continue south to Aloha Street, then turn left and walk one block to Eastlake Avenue E.
Eastlake Avenue E/Mercer Street
To get to the Mercer Street stop, we suggest you use Republican Street between Westlake Avenue and Eastlake Avenue E to avoid sidewalk closures. Once you reach Eastlake Avenue E, walk one block north to reach Mercer Street where there’s a traffic signal and you can cross safely to the northbound bus stop.
Eastlake Avenue E/John Street
The fastest way to get to the John/Stewart street stops is to use John Street between Boren Avenue and Eastlake Avenue E.
9th Avenue/Stewart Street/Howell Street
We suggest you use 9th Avenue between Westlake Avenue and Howell Street to get to the stops on Stewart and Howell streets. This walking route is also convenient if you’re heading to Convention Place Station.
Why reroute?
When Mercer Street opens to two-way traffic on Aug. 27, it will kick off the next phase of construction which includes severe restrictions on Fairview Avenue N as it is narrowed to just one northbound lane between Republican and Valley streets.
For more information about the Mercer Corridor Project (East Phase)–including detour maps illustrating two-way traffic flow on Mercer Street and Fairview Avenue N–please visit the City of Seattle’s website.
Need more information?
Please visit Metro’s website or contact our customer information line at 206-553-3000 for help with trip planning during the reroute.
I started working near Eastlake and Mercer after this change took effect. Are there any buses that will continue to travel on Eastlake into downtown Seattle?
Hi, Colleen. Great question. The stop at Eastlake Ave E and Mercer St will still be served by bus routes 66x and 25 into downtown Seattle. The 70 will still be close though as the stop on Fairview is just 4 blocks west of Eastlake Ave.
+1
Can we get an answer to Caroline’s question? When will the buses resume their old routes?
Thanks for the comments, Matt and Caroline. And, our apologies for the delayed response. Short answer March 16. Need more info, check out our latest post: Metro returning buses to Fairview Avenue North on March 16
I just read an announcement that they are reopening fairview on March 9 – when will buses resume their old routes?
Any word on when this will change back to the old route? We’re 5 months into the projected “4-6 months” on the King County Metro website. 🙂 Inquiring riders want to know.
Hi Linda – Its looking like these routes will return to their old routing in March, including Route 70 motor coaches. The wiring needs to be restrung for Route 70 trolley coaches, which would resume in April or May.