Seattle weekend traffic: Capitol Hill Block Party, Mariners, and SeaFair

Another weekend, another whole list of things that could disrupt getting around. Some of these events might be things you’re doing, too—there’s a whopping three Mariners home games (four if you count Thursday), the Capitol Hill Block Party, and a slough of SeaFair events. Interested in not getting stuck behind the wheel? Our weekend traffic report is here for you.

We’ve combed through the alerts and advisories from both the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) and the Washington Department of Transportation (WSDOT) to deliver transit-friendly solutions for your weekend outings. Plus, the Link Light Rail is your best option if you’re headed to baseball or the Block Party, which bypasses the road altogether.

Some of this weekend’s advisories—and transit-oriented alternate routes to events—are listed below.

Road work

Capitol Hill, Central District, and Madison Park folks: SDOT is closing East John Street between 23rd Avenue and Madison Street from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. for paving work. It’s one weird little block, but it could end up being a pain.

Lane closures around Third Avenue in Belltown are happening now, but should be all over by 5 p.m. Friday.

Sports and the stadium district

Thursday through Sunday, the Mariners face the New York Yankees at home every single day. These should end up being a pretty big deal.

Meanwhile, the Sounders also have a home game on Sunday at CenturyLink—although at least it’s six hours later. The stadiums will be a mess on Sunday.

Sounder trains will run for Sunday’s 1:10 Mariner’s game, giving people an alternate option from as far south as Tacoma and as far north as Everett (and perhaps clearing a little traffic for others). But note that Sounder trains will not run late enough to take you home from Thursday or Friday’s games—and not at all on Saturday. As mentioned before, Link Light Rail goes to the stadium, as does the Seattle Streetcar and a ton of bus routes from Metro, Community Transit, and Sound Transit.

The Seattle Storm are off until Tuesday, but there will be a WNBA all-star game at KeyArena at 12:30 on Saturday. A whole host of buses serve Seattle Center, but the ones that get closest to KeyArena are Metro route 1, 2, 8, 13, 32, and RapidRide D.

SeaFair, Capitol Hill Block Party, and more.

The Capitol Hill Block Party starts at 4 p.m. Friday, closing off East Pike Street for a few blocks starting on Broadway and headed east. Link light rail, the First Hill Streetcar, or King County Metro Routes 11, 49, and 60 will get you straight there. Traffic will be a bear anywhere around that area as people attempt to park.

The Bite of Seattle is also running this weekend at Seattle Center. Transit is plentiful, depending on what side of the Center you want to get to: The 8 hits both the south and west sides of the Seattle Center. The 1, 2, 13, 32, and RapidRide D also run along the west side of the Center by the Key. The 3 or the 4, which come from Upper Queen Anne on one side and from downtown and the Central District on the other, hit the east side.

Bonus: Get from Capitol Hill Block Party to the Bite of Seattle using Metro routes 2 or 8.

There’s always a 5k or something somewhere:

• Saturday in West Seattle, the Float Dodger 5K—which cleverly takes advantage of the street closures from the West Seattle Summer Parade—runs on California Avenue SW between Lander and Edmonds starting at 9:30 a.m. The 50, 55, or 128 will all get you right to the starting point at Hiawatha Community Center, or the 56 or 57 will get you a block away.
• The Swedish Seafair Triathlon is Sunday from 6:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., starting and finishing at Seward Park. Metro Route 50 will take you straight there from either West Seattle or the Othello light rail station, although it won’t get you there in time for the earliest races.

SeaFair time means parades:

• The West Seattle Grand Parade starts 11 a.m. on California Avenue Southwest between Southwest Lander Street and Southwest Edmunds Street. This is a very long stretch of road, and transit options to a vantage point are plentiful: The 22, 50, 55, 56, 57, 128, and C Line are all options, but keep in mind that many of them run on California and will be experiencing reroutes.
• On Sunday night, the Chinatown Seafair Parade starts 7 p.m. at Eighth Avenue South and South King Street, then heads west on South King Street, south on Fifth, then east on South Weller Street. Metro route 99 and the First Hill Streetcar will both take you straight to the starting line, but Link Light Rail and anything that goes through the tunnel will also drop you right on the route (and won’t be affected by closures).

In First Hill, the St. James Cathedral Parish Picnic will close Terry Ave between Columbia Street and Marion Street from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.—just one block, but might be tricky if you’re navigating around the hospitals. The 60 will take you right there, or the 3 and 4 will get you nearby.

All weekend long, the Alki Art Fair is running along Alki Beach, which is already usually packed on nice weekends. Avoid traffic by taking the 37, 50, or 56 to get there.

• Events Traffic Advisory for Tuesday, July 18 to Sunday, July 23 [SDOT]
• Sounder train will make weekend trips for Mariners games [CS]