King County Metro, City of Seattle improve Metro Routes 1, 2 and 13

Great news! A recently completed project by the City of Seattle and King County Metro, will mean a faster, more direct route for bus riders traveling between Queen Anne and downtown Seattle on Metro Routes 1, 2 and 13.

Starting Saturday, Aug. 2, those routes will use new electric trolley poles and wires installed through the Seattle-led project, heading inbound towards Belltown and downtown on a new path. They’ll travel east on Denny Way between First Avenue and Third Avenue instead of traveling south on First and east on Broad Street to Third. The new, direct routing will reduce bus travel times by up to two minutes, depending on the time of day and traffic, for the thousands of people who use these buses every day.

Routes 1, 2, and 13 are part of Metro’s clean, quiet electric trolley bus system. To enable Metro to operate electric bus service along the new time-saving route, SDOT constructed trolley wire support poles and related infrastructure on eastbound Denny Way between First and Third avenues and on a short segment of Third Avenue between Denny and Broad.

In addition to speeding up transit, the improvements will put trolley buses on the same pathways and at the same bus stops as Metro’s diesel bus routes in the area, simplifying the rider experience. SDOT and King County Metro will be relocating the existing bus stop on Denny at Warren Place to Third and Denny. The new bus stop will feature lighting, new shelters, a bicycle rack and, in 2015, a real time schedule sign.

This project is a partnership between SDOT and King County Metro. SDOT funded the design and installation of the poles that are needed to support the trolley wires, while King County Metro funded the installation of the wires. The total cost of the project is $1.5 million.