The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) is rolling out a temporary emergency bus lane in the University District this weekend. The bus lane is in response to congestion caused by the closure of the Montlake Bridge over the next few weeks. Earlier this week, bus riders like Daniel Heppner alerted the agency to seriously delayed buses trying to get to and from the University District that are being funneled over the University Bridge.
Montlake Bridge is closed for repairs by the Washington State Department of Transportation through 5am Friday, September 3rd and is a key pathway for many bus routes, including Routes 48, 255, 271, 542, and many others. With the bridge closure beginning on Monday, it quickly became a source of problems for King County Metro bus service. Dozens of buses found themselves gridlocked with mounting and cascading delays. Throughout the week, reliability and delays have continued to be a challenge as people adjust to the bridge closure. Evidently the outcry has led to SDOT taking nimble action to address the problem.
In a blogpost, the agency acknowledge the pain to bus riders and hit on the need to address induced demand. “The Montlake Bridge closure has been challenging for all sorts of travelers, and especially for people riding the bus,” the agency wrote. “Solving this problem was a high priority for us because buses carry a lot more people than cars, so reducing bus backups will benefit more people than any other kind of change. We’ll continue to closely monitor traffic throughout the U District and look for other opportunities for improvements to help people getting around in other ways.” The agency also added: “This is also important because every person taking a bus means one less car on the road, which is an incredibly important way to help address congestion. We are very thankful for everyone who is choosing not to drive alone, and want to do what we can to make sure that this stays a reliable option.”
