Motorists should plan ahead to avoid delays
Tomorrow the Bite of Seattle begins its three-day food-fest drawing in over 40,000 folks a day at the Seattle Center. During the afternoon commute, fans of Paul McCartney will be flocking from all over the Northwest to Safeco Field for the sold-out 8 p.m. concert. Motorists not attending the concert may, nevertheless, be impacted by the out-of-towners heading into the SODO area via I-90, I-5 and Highway 99. It could make for a dicey afternoon commute for everyone.
In addition to the Bite, there are numerous Seafair events on Saturday and Sunday which are expected to be attended by crowds in the thousands. Those events include the West Seattle Grand Parade, the beautiful two-day Japanese Bon Odori Festival and the exciting evening Chinatown Parade. Sports enthusiasts will also have their pick of events to choose from on Saturday with the Fat Water Open Water Swim in Lake Washington, the Float Dodger 5K in West Seattle, the Seattle Sounders match against the Colorado Rapid; and the Refuse to Abuse 5K around Safeco Field. On Sunday morning the Seafair Triathlon takes place in and around Lake Washington while the 2013 Seafair Swedish SummerRun and Walk gets underway on First Hill.
Motorists should plan ahead for possible delays associated with all the activities taking place over the next three days. The Seattle Department of Transportation suggests that a weekend like the coming one might be a great time to leave the stress of driving the car at home and try out one of the many alternate modes of travel available such as the Sounder, the West Seattle Water Taxi, Sound Transit Link light rail, Metro Transit, the Streetcar, the Monorail or perhaps carpool, bicycle or walk, if feasible.
Please see the following information for more details on the coming events:
Friday, July 19
Bite of Seattle: 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Seattle Center
40,000 attending
Expect congestion in the area around the Center. http://www.biteofseattle.com/
Paul McCartney “Out There” Concert: 8 p.m.
Safeco Field
42,000 attending
Gates open at 6:30. Expect early arrivals in the area around the ballpark. The 42,000 + crowd will be coming from throughout the Pacific Northwest so traffic could be impacted on all our major highways during the usual heavy Friday afternoon commute. Typical Mariner game day traffic controls will be in place. However, as many out-of-towners may be unfamiliar with the area, traffic could be considerably worse than it would normally be for a baseball game crowd of the same size.
Saturday, July 20
Fat Water Open Water Swim: 7:30 a.m.
Lake Washington between Day Street Boat Launch and Madison Park Beach
450 expected
Expect congestion in the vicinity of Madison Park beach. http://www.fatsalmonswim.org/
Seafair Triathlon Expo: 9 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Ninth Avenue (between Seneca and University streets)
1,520 attending
Streets closed from 7 a.m. – 3 p.m.: Ninth Avenue from Seneca Street – University Street
Expect congestion in the area. http://www.seafair.com/AnEvent.aspx?ID=5&SecID=958
Float Dodger 5K: 9:45 a.m.
California Avenue SW and SW Charlestown Street – Starting point
500 participants
Race route: Starts at California Avenue SW and SW Charlestown Street; heads north on California to SW Admiral Way; makes a u-turn and then moves south to SW Edmunds Street; makes another u-turn and goes north on California SW to finish at SW Hanford Street (Run is on a portion of the West Seattle Grand Parade prior to the parade) http://www.floatdodger5k.com/Race_Details.html
West Seattle Grand Parade: 11 a.m.
West Seattle Junction – California Avenue SW
3,000 attending
8 a.m. Staging on California Avenue SW between SW Admiral Way and SW Hanford Street
Parade route: starts at California Avenue SW and SW Hanford Street; moves south on California to SW Edmunds Street.
Expect congestion in the neighborhood. http://www.thewestseattleparade.com/Home.html
Bite of Seattle: 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Seattle Center
50,000 attending
Expect congestion in the area around the Center. http://www.biteofseattle.com/
Seattle Sounders vs. Colorado Rapid: 1 – 2:30 p.m.
CenturyLink Field
34,000 attending
Expect congestion on surrounding streets.
Bon Odori Festival: 4 – 10 p.m.
Seattle Buddhist Temple (1427 S Main Street)
3,000
Streets closed 5 p.m. Friday j July 19 – 11:59 p.m. Sunday, July 21: S Main Street between 14th Avenue S and 16th Avenue S.
Expect congestion on streets surrounding the festival area. http://seattlebetsuin.org/index.php/2013/04/save-the-dates-july-20-21/
Refuse to Abuse 5k at Safeco Field: 7 p.m.
On sidewalks adjacent to Safeco Field
2,000 participants
Run route using sidewalks only: starts on Safeco Field garage plaza on Occidental Avenue S; moves north on the service road to the east of the garage and stadium to S Royal Brougham Way; then goes west on Royal Brougham to First Avenue S; south on First to Edgar Martinez Drive S; and finally east on Edgar into Safeco Field. Run should not impact traffic, but may be a distraction. http://refusetoabuse5k.org/event-details/
Seattle Storm vs Los Angeles: 7 – 9:30 p.m.
Key Arena, Seattle Center
6,000 attending
Expect congestion on the west side of the Center grounds.
Sunday, July 21
Seafair Triathlon: 6:30 – 10:30 a.m.
Seward Park, Lake Washington and surrounding area
2,225 participants
Streets closed from 6 – 11 a.m.: Lake Washington Boulevard S will be closed from Seward Park to I-90
I-90 Express Lanes closed from approximately 6:30 – 10 a.m.: Between Lake Washington Boulevard S and Mercer Island.
Expect congestion on streets adjacent to triathlon activities. http://www.seafair.com/AnEvent.aspx?ID=5&SecID=958
2013 Swedish SummeRun and Walk: 8:15 a.m.
Starts at corner of Madison and Minor / First Hill neighborhood
3,500 participants
5K run and walk route: Begins at Minor Avenue and Madison Street; moves north on Minor to Seneca Street; east on Seneca to Union Street; east on Union to 12th Avenue; north on 12th to Aloha Street; west on Aloha to 11th Avenue; south on 11th to Howell Street; east on Howell to 12th; south on 12th to Union Street; west on Union to Seneca Street; west on Seneca to Minor Avenue; south on Minor to finish at Marion Street. http://www.summerun.org/#raceinfo
Bite of Seattle: 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Seattle Center
50,000 attending
Expect congestion in the area around the Center. http://www.biteofseattle.com/
Bon Odori Festival: 3 – 8 p.m.
Seattle Buddhist Temple (1427 S Main Street)
1,500 attending
Streets closed 5 p.m. Friday j July 19 – 11:59 p.m. Sunday, July 21: S Main Street between 14th Avenue S and 16th Avenue S.
Expect congestion on streets surrounding the festival area. http://seattlebetsuin.org/index.php/2013/04/save-the-dates-july-20-21/
Chinatown Seafair Parade: 7 p.m.
Chinatown /International District
9,400 attending
Staging begins at 5 p.m. on S. King Street between Eighth Avenue S and 12th Avenue S, and on Tenth Avenue S between S Jackson and S Weller Street.
Parade route: start s at S King Street and Eighth Avenue S; heads west on King to Fifth Avenue S; south on Fifth to S Weller Street; east on Weller to Eighth Avenue S; south on Eighth to S Lane Street.
Expect congestion throughout the neighborhood. http://www.seattlechinesechamber.org/chinatown-seafair-parade
Bruno Mars Concert: 8-11 p.m.
Key Arena, Seattle Center
10,000 attending
Expect heavy traffic around the Center as the Bite of Seattle turn-out will be starting to leave at the same time as concert – goers are arriving.
Construction notes:
July 19 – 22: Northbound and southbound I-5 ramps to Corson Avenue S closed from Noon on Friday to 5 a.m. on Monday.
July 20 – 21: Broadway closed between E Pine Street and E Denny Way from 6 a.m. on Saturday to 10 p.m. on Sunday.
Contact: Peg Nielsen, 206-684-8114
