SEATTLE — Seattle is gearing up for a massive celebration as the city prepares to honor the Seattle Seahawks’ Super Bowl victory with a parade on Wednesday, Feb. 11.
Up to a million fans are expected to flood downtown Seattle, and regional transit agencies are pulling out all the stops to ensure everyone can join the festivities.
SEE ALSO | Up to 1 million fans expected to attend Seahawks’ World Champions Parade
King County Executive Girmay Zahilay expressed his excitement for the event, saying, “Wednesday will be a great day of celebration for our entire region, and I look forward to joining hundreds of thousands of Seahawk fans to celebrate our Super Bowl Champions.” He encouraged residents to leave their cars at home and rely on the robust regional transportation network.
Metro General Manager Michelle Allison emphasized the importance of public transit during such events, likening it to “JSN open in the end zone.” She assured fans that Metro is fully committed to getting everyone to the celebration safely and efficiently.
Sound Transit CEO Dow Constantine highlighted the agency’s efforts to accommodate the influx of fans, stating, “The Seahawks took care of business Sunday, and now it’s our turn to deliver.” Sound Transit will run extra trains throughout the day to facilitate travel to and from the parade.
Parade, street closures will affect transit service
The City of Seattle plans to close several downtown streets early Wednesday before the parade begins on Fourth Avenue. King County Metro plans to reroute bus service starting around 5 a.m. and until the streets reopen after the parade.
Many buses that usually travel through downtown will pick up and drop off riders at hubs north and south of downtown.
East-west buses that usually cross Fourth Avenue also will be rerouted, meaning riders should plan to potentially walk or roll a few blocks to reach their destinations. Riders are encouraged to review these changes on Metro’s service advisories page.
Sound Transit
Link 1 Line trains will run every six minutes from 5 a.m. until 6 p.m. Four morning Sounder trains will be added to existing service, and increased Sound Transit Express buses will serve Eastside park-and-rides into downtown Seattle.
While parking is available at all Sounder stations, it will fill up early, as will parking at Link stations.
King County Metro
Bus service: Metro’s online Trip Planner will help riders pick a bus route directly to downtown Seattle or to the closest Sound Transit 1 Line station. Due to street closures and massive crowds on parade day, there will be major changes to bus service to Seattle and throughout downtown starting at 5 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 11.
Many downtown buses will be rerouted, and due to crowds, routes might not travel where they usually do.
To keep service moving reliably, these key changes are planned:
- Special shuttles: To keep riders moving within the Seattle downtown core, special north-south shuttles will operate, and riders are encouraged to use Link 1 Line trains in the transit tunnel to travel through the downtown core. More details and a map of Metro’s parade day shuttle will be posted online as soon as possible.
- Metro, Sound Transit and Community Transit buses coming from the north plan to drop off riders at the north end of downtown Seattle. A planned hub at Mercer Street and Queen Anne Avenue will allow riders to connect to a Second Avenue circulator shuttle into the central business district. This shuttle will operate on the west side of the parade via Second and Third avenues and travel to and from Cherry Street. A second rider hub is planned at Boren Avenue and Pike Street and will connect riders to a shuttle that will operate on the east side of the parade route and travel on Boren Avenue to South Jackson Street.
- Metro, Sound Transit and Pierce Transit buses coming from the Eastside and the south end plan to drop off riders near SODO and Stadium stations, where riders can board the 1 Line, walk or roll to the parade route, or take bus routes traveling farther north. Shuttle buses will be available north of South Jackson Street.
- East-west bus routes will be unable to cross the Fourth Avenue parade route and will be rerouted, with details posted on Metro’s Service Advisories web page prior to the event.
- Riders can stay informed by subscribing to transit alerts to receive text messages or email updates for the routes they ride. Metro customer service can help riders with trip planning at 206-553-3000 from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
King County Water Taxi: Additional Water Taxi sailings are planned on Wednesday to accommodate fans coming from Vashon and West Seattle, with a third vessel available if needed.
Seattle Streetcar: Due to massive crowds expected around Pioneer Square, the last stop of the First Hill Streetcar will be at Fifth Avenue and South Jackson Street, not at Occidental Avenue.
Kitsap Transit riders
Kitsap Transit offers direct service to downtown Seattle on its fast ferries from Bremerton, Kingston and Southworth.
On the Bremerton/Seattle route, Kitsap Transit plans to use all three of its 118-passenger vessels to offer additional fast-ferry trips. The third boat will operate one-way trips only to Seattle in the morning and one-way trips only to Bremerton in the afternoon. In the event of any mechanical issues with any of the vessels, Kitsap Transit will prioritize maintaining its regular two-boat schedule.
On the Kingston route, Kitsap Transit will operate MV Finest with additional crew to open up its upper-level deck and allow loads up to 349 passengers per trip. On the Southworth route, Kitsap Transit will operate a 250-passenger boat.
Pierce Transit riders
Pierce Transit is providing special event bus service from the 512 Park & Ride and Tacoma Dome Station (TDS) to Federal Way Downtown Station, to connect fans to Sound Transit’s 1 Line Link light rail into downtown Seattle.
- This special event service will begin at 6 a.m. at the 512 Park & Ride and will also pick up passengers at TDS before heading to Federal Way. Service will run approximately every 15 minutes until 9 a.m.
- Board the special event bus at the 512 Park & Ride at Zone I or at Tacoma Dome Station (TDS) on the East side of G St. at Zone F.
Ultimately, fans are advised to travel early, stay late, and be patient as they navigate the bustling downtown area. For detailed transit information and updates, riders should visit the websites of their preferred transit agencies.
