Magic Season is upon us in Bellevue and while Santa’s got his sleigh and reindeer to keep him off the roads, you’ll be facing some congestion and looking for parking. Not to worry! Choose Your Way Bellevue can get you into the city so you can spend more time enjoying the festivities and less time— or no time— in your car!
Follow these guidelines to getting into the city to enjoy Magic Season!
Magic Season Commuting and Transportation Tips:
TRAFFIC UPDATE: Nightly closures of Bellevue Way between Northeast Fourth Street and Northeast Eighth Street will begin Friday, Nov. 28, from 6:30 to 7:45 p.m. Full closure details can be found on the City of Bellevue website.
TRANSIT UPDATE: Beginning Friday, Nov. 28 through Wednesday, Dec. 31, from 1 to 9 p.m. each day, Metro Routes 246, 271, Rapid Ride B and Sound Transit Route 550 will be rerouted near Bellevue Square due to holiday traffic. Visit King County Metro for specific reroute information.
RIDE TRANSIT: More than 20 Metro and Sound Transit bus routes come through the Bellevue Transit Center in the heart of downtown. Park your car at one of the nearby park-and-ride lots, such as the South Bellevue, Eastgate, or South Kirkland Park-and-Ride lots and take a bus the rest of the way downtown for shopping and attending downtown events. Visit the online trip planners at King County Metro or Sound Transit to plan your route.
TRY THE B-LINE: Metro’s RapidRide B Line route begins at the Redmond Transit Center and ends in downtown Bellevue with stops through Overlake, Crossroads and all along NE 8th Street.
TRAVEL WITH FRIENDS: Carpooling is a great way to shave time off your trip downtown. Be sure to use the direct access ramp at NE 6th Street off of I-405, as well as the HOV lanes on I-405, I-90 and parts of SR 520. Transit and 3+ carpools and vanpools can now take advantage of the new direct-access HOV ramp on 108th Avenue NE to SR 520.
AVOID CONGESTION: Heading to the Bellevue Collection? Save time and skip the NE 8th Street exit off of I-405. Use NE 4th Street instead. Or make a jog to NE 2nd or NE 10th to avoid backups.
PARK NEAR THE PARK: Free on-street parking is available for up to 2 hours on and around Main Street in Old Bellevue. You’ll be just steps from your favorite Old Bellevue restaurants, boutiques and ice skating!
SAFETY FIRST: With even more people out and about, please use caution when making turns, and look out for pedestrians.
VANPOOL PERK: If you’re a primary authorized driver in your vanpool, you can use a certain amount of mileage for personal use. Round up your family and take a trip downtown with your vanpool! Refer to this official King County Metro Vanpool manual for details on “Personal Use.”
Download these mobile apps to help you get around in real-time.
- ONE BUS AWAY: Taking the bus to complete holiday shopping? Download the OneBusAway app for iPhone, Android and Windows Phone and have real-time bus arrival times at your fingertips. onebusaway.org.
- INRIX TRAFFIC OR WSDOT: Both apps will keep you in the know on real-time traffic and travel information. Save time by avoiding the backups! inrixtraffic.com and wsdot.gov