If you haven’t already heard, there are mighty changes coming to the way that we commute to work in Seattle. Starting on January 4th, all exits off of the Alaskan Way Viaduct in downtown will be closed. Later, on January 11th, 2019 the Highway-99 Viaduct that connects West Seattle to Downtown and Aurora Blvd will be closed permanently.
The tunnel that was built by Big Bertha to replace the Viaduct will not be open until the middle to end of February. This means that for between 3-5 weeks at the start of next year there will be no downtown access from the 2nd largest road serving Seattle proper.
Even if you do not commute via the Viaduct or SR-99, the additional traffic created by those re-routed cars will affect your commute greatly. As of now, the City is estimating that traffic congestion will increase at least 30%, with commute times estimated to double during that period.
Now is the time to be planning for these changes, and how they may affect not only your commute, but the commute of your favorite furry companion!
Our Hours
We understand that this will be a trying time as we all adjust our schedules to compensate for the new changes. Because so many people will be commuting to work earlier in an effort to avoid the worst of the traffic, we will be extending our hours for your convenience.
Starting on January 7th, and going until the SR-99 re-opens, we will be open at 5:30 AM and we will close at 7:00 PM, Monday thru Friday.
We hope that this change will help your morning commute and allow you to bring your pup to us even during the #SeattleSqueeze.
General #SeattleSqueeze Info
For more detailed information and a news feed of all City-related news associated with the #SeattleSqueeze the best place to visit is the city’s own traffic portal.
If using an app is easier than checking a webpage, there is WAZE for both Android and iPhone, which has real-time traffic updates.
Do you work downtown? Want to have a FREE consultation on the best way to commute to your workplace? Please contact Commute Seattle! Their representatives can assist you in finding the best ways to make it to work with minimal hassle. They are trained to give info on every commute– via car, transit, bike, or a mixture of those options.
West Seattle Info
As our West Seattle customers are likely to face the most impact from this situation, we here at Seattle Canine Club have put together some additional information in order to aid you during this time.
If you live in West Seattle and would like to use a bus to drop off your dog with us, there are a couple of different routes that serve our area of SoDo.
- Route 21 – West Seattle Stadium to 1st & Lander (Starbucks HQ)
- Route 50 – Alaska Junction to 1st & Lander
- Routes 116, 118, 119 (peak hours only) – Fauntleroy & Alaska to 1st & Lander
- Route 131 – Burien Transit Center to 4th & Lander
- Route 132 – South Park to 4th & Lander
Starting on December 17th the City has said that West Seattle residents can use an app called Ride2 (for Android and iPhone) or a phone call to hail a shuttle that will take them from their home to either the Water Taxi dock or the Alaskan Way Junction.
During the closure and through March 2019, the Seattle Water Taxi will double its service. To help commuters connect to the taxi, Metro has already announced an additional 250 parking spaces at Pier 2 as well as a shuttle to get people from the Pier to the Water Taxis at Seacrest Park.
No matter how you choose to commute during this time, we hope this information was helpful as we all cope with the city’s growing pains. Thank you for choosing Seattle Canine Club!