Community Transit and Sound Transit buses this week start using two transit-only shortcuts to bypass heavy traffic on I-5.
It’s similar to new bus-only shoulder rules between certain exits on I-405.
On I-405, the right-hand shoulder can be used by transit when traffic dips below 35 mph weekday mornings. The rules apply to two spots on that corridor: between Highway 527 and NE 195th Street, and between Highway 522 and NE 160th Street.
On I-5, the shortcuts are on the left-hand side of the interstate and use the transit-only on- and off-ramps to the Mountlake Terrace Freeway Station and at Northgate.
Like I-405, bus drivers will only use the shortcuts when congestion is bad enough.
Together, the two I-5 shortcuts add up to about 1.5 miles. At peak times, it could translate to time savings of 5 to 10 minutes at Mountlake Terrace alone, state officials have said.
A similar shortcut will be added soon at the Lynnwood Transit Center.
“The goal is to help keep buses on schedule, which is especially difficult on the southbound morning commute,” Community Transit spokesman Martin Munguia wrote in a blog post about the change.
In 2014, 25 percent of Community Transit’s I-5 routes were late. This fall, the agency started adjusting schedule times to reflect the new reality.
For riders at the Mountlake Terrace and Lynnwood transit centers, this means that not every bus that comes through the freeway station will stop for customers. Signs are being posted.
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