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 Transportation Today
 

Special Vanpool offer for I-5 commuters

The clock is ticking on a great deal to help commuters cope with the upcoming closure of Interstate 5 in Seattle that is expected to create widespread traffic backups. Instead of adding to the congestion by continuing to drive alone, why not share the ride with others in a King County Metro Transit vanpool?

photo: vanpoolers
A happy group of Vanpoolers.

For the month of August, Metro is reducing the start-up requirements and costs for new vanpool groups with as few as five participants. Commuters who travel the I-5 corridor into or through the Seattle area can form a new Metro vanpool for just $45 per participant. This is a limited offer and participants must sign up by Friday, July 27.

From Aug. 10-29, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) will carry out almost three weeks of continuous intense construction on northbound I-5 between Spokane Street and Interstate 90. For most of the time, there will only be two or three lanes open in the northbound direction. Traffic congestion resulting from the August closure is expected to be considerable.

Bus to the Bite and Pow Wow

Metro will be offering both regular bus service and special shuttles for the Bite of Seattle and the Seafair Indian Days Pow Wow this weekend, July 21 and 22.

For the Bite, Metro will operate a shuttle between the Northgate Park-and-Ride and the Seattle Center on Saturday and Sunday. The Northgate shuttle will run every 20 minutes. The shuttle makes stops at the Northgate Park-and-Ride and the Northgate Transit Center. The one-way fare is $2, and no passes or transfers are accepted.

There is no special shuttle service to the Bite on Friday, but there is plenty of regular Metro service to the Seattle Center. Use the online Trip Planner, or call Metro Rider Information at (206) 553-3000 for trip planning assistance.

Another big event this weekend is the Seafair Indian Days Pow Wow at Discovery Park. There will be free shuttles inside Discovery Park for the Pow Wow on Saturday and Sunday. The shuttles will circulate between the parking lot and the Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center starting at noon each day.

To get to the park, ride regular Metro service on either:

• Route 33 from Downtown Seattle and east Magnolia, which connects directly to the shuttles at the Visitor Center Parking Lot Area; or
• Route 24 from Downtown Seattle or Magnolia Village, which stops at 34th Avenue West and West Government Way - about a three-block walk west to the shuttle boarding location.

Historic trolley tour set for Sunday

photo: historic bus
A historic bus at 4th and Jackson.

The Metro Employees Historic Vehicle Association (MEHVA) is offering one of its popular tours Sunday, July 22. On this excursion, MEHVA members will be touring via old-fashioned motor bus to the historic town of Snohomish for lunch and antique-shop browsing.

The tour will depart Seattle at 11 a.m. from Second Avenue South and South Main Street, across from the Seattle Fire Department Headquarters. Fares are $5 for adults, $4 for seniors (65 and over), and $4 for children (2-11). Metro transfers, tickets, or passes are not accepted. Please, no food or beverages onboard the historic buses.

For more information, visit the MEHVA website.

Rolling sevens at Boeing Field

Amid all the recent hoopla for rollout of Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner aircraft, another cool aviation event may have gone unnoticed. On Saturday, July 7, Boeing lined up almost its entire seven series on the runway at King County International Airport (KCIA) at Boeing Field.

photo: Boeing 7-Series planes
All of Boeing's 7-Series planes except the new 787 Dreamliner.

It started at 7:07 p.m., when an Omega Air Refueling Services 707 landed in front of crowd of invited guests at the Museum of Flight. Then, at 7:17 p.m., an AirTran 717 landed. This arrival pattern continued until 8:17 p.m., when an Air France 777-300ER landed.

In the end, the 717, 727, 737, 747, 757, 767, and 777 were lined up nose-to-tail on the Boeing Field taxiway. It is the first time Boeing has had every seven airplane in the same place – not counting the 787, which was busy primping for its debut the next day. KCIA Operations and Maintenance staff helped with planning and execution of this historic event.

 
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Updated:  July 16, 2007

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