If you’ve been wanting to ride the bus to Magnuson Park at night and weekends, maybe run the dog a little, Route 62 will see key changes that will make it MUCH easier, and also faster and more direct getting through downtown. (Maps below)

Route 62 is shifting to Northeast 65th Street seven days a week, eliminating the longer, temporary winding path through Hawthorne Hills that buses have been traveling evenings and weekends for the past year or so. The bus will still enter the NOAA campus (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) when NOAA is open; when the NOAA campus is closed evenings and weekends, the bus will instead stop at Sand Point Way Northeast and Northeast 74th Street (not too far form a restroom for bus drivers).

THIS IS RIGHT AT THE ENTRANCE TO THE PARK!

The bus then will turn a small temporary loop before it heads back out and downtown. This loop will change in the near future once the City of Seattle completes some finishing touches to curbs inside Magnuson Park. At that time, buses will enter the park (see map) and instead turn south on 62nd Avenue Northeast, serving a new bus stop before heading back to downtown Seattle.

Thanks to SDOT for the work they’re doing to finalize this new pathway through Magnuson Park to better connect riders to their wonderful facility!

What’s changing downtown? Due to the start of Seattle’s “Center City Connector” project on First Avenue this fall, Route 62 will be revised to operate via Third Avenue instead of First Avenue in both directions. The change will give riders a faster and more direct path through downtown Seattle, expected to provide better reliability.